My Dirty Little Secret
by Aiyoku Saotome
Summary: Ginny and Draco keep meeting accidentally and each time, it gets harder to keep their emotions in check. They tumble into something they think they have under control, but they are hopelessly wrong. Suspense/humor. Not just Draco Ginny; other pairings too
1. The Start of a New Year

Chapter 1 - Aurora

Disclaimer - I do not own harry Potter. Just my characters and plot.

SUMMARY:

Draco and Ginny continue to accidentally bump into each other until they get into something they think they have under control, but hopelessly realize that their feelings are stronger than they thought. They are put through many tests, especially when something serious happens to their friends. The D.A. is underway again and with the unexpected help of a certain group of students, the members learn spells that will help them immensely in the final battle. When Voldemort comes into the picture at the end of Ginny's fifth year and death eaters swarm Hogwarts, she and Draco, along with the D.A., have to work together to defeat them.

NOTES: This story is mainly Draco/Ginny, but it focuses on other couples, as well. It is rated M for language, sex, violence, and parental abuse.

Enjoy!

* * *

Let me know that I've done wrong

When I've known this all along

I'll go around a time or two

Just to waste my time with you

* * *

"Ginny, dear, you're going to be late! Hurry up!"

"I'm coming, mother! Geez!" Ginny ran down the stairs, jingling a little due to the chain on her black pants.

"Oh Ginny, I wish you wouldn't wear those pants…"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Whatever, mum. I'm not having this conversation again. I like them and that's that."

"Alright alright…would you go make sure Harry and Ron are awake and getting ready? I tried waking them up multiple times."

"Sure. FRED! GEORGE!" The twins appeared out of nowhere, making Ginny blink. "How do you do that? Nevermind. We have a job. Mission wake-up-Harry-and-Ron. Are you up for it?"

"Sure thing Miss Weasley!"

"Understood, Ma'am!"

Ginny smirked and ran up the stairs, followed by her twin brothers. Molly just sighed and shook her head. When they reached the third floor, where Harry and Ron shared a room, Ginny grabbed two pillows from her room and the twins grabbed something from their room they knew would be useful.

Ginny silently opened the door to see that the boys had, in fact, gone back to sleep. She signaled to her brothers and they all tiptoed into the room. At Ginny's next signal, Fred and George took out their small fireworks and made a loud bang as Ginny threw her pillows at both Ron and Harry, on opposite sides of the room. They jumped up with yelps and fell off their beds. Molly came running up the stairs and appeared in the room to see that Harry and Ron had fallen off their beds and Ginny, Fred, and George were laughing hysterically on the floor.

"What is going on? What was that bang?"

The three who were responsible tried to stop laughing enough to answer their mother.

"Well…well…Fred and George…they…" Ginny couldn't, so she let her brothers take care of explaining.

"Well you see, mum, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes has a new product that had to be tested, so we thought hey, this is the perfect time to do it!" Fred said. Then George took over.

"Yes! Now would you like to know what that product is? Great! Do you have problems with annoying kids, roommates, or spouses that just won't get up in the morning? Try our new Morning Mayhem that will wake even the heaviest sleeper!"

"It's the newest in alarms," Fred added.

Molly glared at them. "What have I said about testing your pranks on people?"

"Not on our family yes we know but Harry isn't our family and it was him who we were trying to wake up."

"He's just as much a son to me as he is your brother! Oh I give up! I can't win! Hurry up or you'll all be late! The train leaves in an hour and a half!" She threw her hands up in the air and left the three to start laughing again.

"AN HOUR AND A HALF?" Harry and Ron both yelled at the same time. They jumped up off the floor, sent a few glares at Ginny, Fred, and George, and shooed them out of the room so they could get dressed.

Thirty minutes later, they were all ready to go. Molly was fussing over Ginny's pants again, and Ginny was trying to get her to stop nagging. About forty-five minutes later, they reached King's Cross Station, and ran to platform 9 ¾. All of them got through the barrier and on the train. Ginny was given a few odd looks by some of the other students, but she glared at them and boarded the train.

They found an empty compartment and cast featherweight charms on their luggage to push them up onto the racks above their seats. Not five minutes after they sat down, Hermione walked in.

"Oh good! I found you! How was your summer?" she asked. She sat down next to Ginny and across from Fred. They were lucky that they were slightly early, because they got into one of the bigger compartments so all of them could fit. Not only were there seats on either side, but also at the window, which was where Harry was sitting.

"Fun, but not too eventful," Ginny answered.

"Except for this morning," Fred said, causing George and Ginny to grin and Ron and Harry to scowl.

Hermione looked at them curiously. "Alright what did you three do?"

"Well…Harry and Ron had some trouble waking up so I enlisted the Dynamic Duo here to help me," Ginny explained.

"Oh no…" Hermione couldn't help but grin at this.

"So what we did was we went into our room to get this new invention we have and Gin went and got two pillows, and snuck into Ron's room…" Fred began.

"And while Fred and I set off our new Morning Mayhem alarm – a large bang, with a few small fireworks – Gin here threw her pillows at them." Hermione started laughing.

"It wasn't funny!" Ron grumbled.

"Oh yes it was. You two nearly jumped out of your skin," Ginny said with a laugh.

"How was your summer, Mione?" Ron asked, changing the subject.

"Oh it was brilliant! We went to Sicily, Sardinia, Florence, Rome, Venice, and the Amalfi coast to a little town called Positano. It was beautiful!"

"Your tan looks fantastic," Ginny complimented. Hermione beamed, and Ron blushed slightly and looked away. "And your hair! Oh wow I just noticed! Why didn't you cut it?"

"Thank you! I guess I just kept it too short for it to smooth out properly. I see you changed your style, as well."

"Well yeah, that's only because mum finally realizes that I'm old enough to not let her dress me however she wants. I like the chains and black nails, I think they suit me."

"Well, they do in a way, actually." Everyone looked at her with surprise and shock on their faces. "What?"

"We just thought that…you'd disapprove," Ginny said.

"Oh, no. They do suit you."

"Well, thanks."

"You're welcome," Hermione said with a smile on her face.

"Well if it isn't the Dream Team, sitting in our compartment."

They all looked at the door and saw Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini, Pansy Parkinson, and three other Slytherins they didn't recognize.

"I don't see your names on it," Ginny retorted.

"Who-hoo, the little Weaslette's got claws. What's up with your new clothes, Red? Trying to get noticed?" Draco said with a smirk on his face. Ginny leaned back and put her arms behind her head in a casual pose, not realizing how much this pose accentuated her chest – or how it affected Malfoy.

"No. I like them, and I've been wearing them for a while. Oh and NEVER call me Red again."

"You can't tell me what to do, Weasley."

"Get out of here, Malfoy," Harry said in a low voice.

Draco was about to answer when Pansy cut in. "Trying to come to the rescue again, Potter? Your little girlfriend looks like she can handle herself."

Ginny took this as a compliment, and she smiled. But Harry didn't. "She is not my girlfriend, she's like my sister and if you ever touch her…" He growled dangerously, making Ginny smile; she loved that he was as protective of her as her own brothers were.

"Look, just leave us alone and we'll leave you alone. How's that for a compromise?" Hermione said.

"There's just one problem. You're sitting in our compartment," One of the unrecognizable Slytherins said.

"This isn't _your_ compartment," Ron said, getting very angry.

"We've been sitting in it since we first started going to Hogwarts. So get up and move out," Draco said.

"It's not our fault that you got here late, Malfoy," Fred said angrily.

Draco was about to retort, when Hermione cut him off. "I'm Head Girl, and I say you have to leave because we got here first, you do not own this compartment, and you are being very hostile," she said, keeping her voice stern and her gaze level.

"Well guess what, Granger? I'm Head Boy. So you don't have any authority over me."

They all gasped.

"You're Head Boy?" Ginny exploded, and shot out of her seat. "How the HELL are you Head Boy? You don't deserve that title, you stupid bloody git!"

"Ginny!"

"Oh sod off, Mione! Malfoy, you'd better get out of here or I'll hex you into oblivion! And I'll use my bat bogey hex to top it off!"

"Ohh I'm so scared. You may be wearing clothes that you think make you look intimidating, but I don't think so. So sit back down and shut the hell up, because you have no control over me." He was leaning in towards Ginny, and they were very close to each other. They were so furious, you could almost see sparks between their eyes.

"Come on, Draco. Let's just leave. Te don't have the time for this," Blaise said. Draco stood up straight and stalked out of the compartment. Apparently, Blaise and Pansy scared off some second years to get another one of the larger compartments down the hall.

Ginny sat down and fumed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"And the famous Weasley temper strikes again," Hermione said with a smile. Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Wow Gin, I never knew you had that in you," Harry said. "Well, not that much, anyway."

Fred and George grinned and high-fived each other. "We're so proud of you, Gin." Ginny grinned.

"Thanks." Ginny had no idea why, but she had gotten such a thrill when she fought with Draco. Maybe she just hasn't yelled like that in a while, but she loved it; it felt so good.

"Well I can't stay here long, I have to go to my Head Girl duties and check in. I'll see you all later," Hermione said. They waved at her as she walked out and closed the door.

"I really wish mum hadn't made us go back to school," George said suddenly, looking wistfully out the window.

His twin nodded. "I second that."

Molly had forced Fred and George to go back to school to finish their last year. She said she didn't care about what they did with their lives, since she knew she had no control over them, but they had to finish at Hogwarts. So there they were, on the train, with a young woman named Amy Callaway running their shop in Diagon Alley and another named Serena Macabee running the one in Hogsmeade.

"Oh will you two stop griping?" Ron said.

"It's not like you're in Azkaban," Ginny added. "I'll be right back." She walked down the hall to the closest restroom, which was in a room of itself between cars. She came out a few minutes later and was about to head back to the compartment when she ran into Draco, who had walked into the room, possibly going through to get to the other car. She noticed him glancing at her, and stopped to face him. "What's wrong, Malfoy? Like what you see?"

"You wish, Weasley."

"Oh, well I thought that staring at someone and drooling meant that. But I could be wrong." She smirked at his annoyed expression.

"Do tell me why I would want to look at someone like _you_."

"Because I'm beautiful and sexy."

He snorted at this. _'Damn right you are.'_ "You keep on thinking that." _'I definitely will be.'_

"Oh I don't think it. I know it." She couldn't stop herself. She was enjoying this too much.

"Do you, now? Tell me, Weasley. Have you looked in a mirror recently?"

"Actually, I just did. About half a minute ago."

Draco's eye ticked. "And you still think you're sexy?" he asked in mock disbelief.

"Of course. The way you were looking at me when I walked out said as much."

"How can you possibly think that the awful red hair you Weasels have is attractive?" _'It's the most attractive color I've seen on any woman I know, actually.'_

"Well, first off, my hair isn't the orange-red my brothers have. It's darker and deeper. So right there is the first clue I got. Are you with me?" He snorted. "The other is that it's not frizzy or really curly, nor is it pin straight. It has a nice wave to it, don't you think? Which I happen to like very much. Apparently, so do a lot of guys."

"You're a cheeky little witch, aren't you."

"I am hardly little, Malfoy."

"No, I agree. You are quite nicely sized." She saw his eyes were looking straight at her chest. She blushed in anger, but forced herself to keep cool and calm. He obviously saw this, for he looked back at her eyes and smirked. _'Point for Malfoy.'_

She put her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest a little. "Oh? So you like them, do you? Well I am most certainly not big, though not small, either. I'd say just the right size, don't you think?" He took two steps toward her and had her pinned to the wall. An intense heat suddenly pooled in the pit of her stomach, completely unexpected, and she shuddered, but kept her smirk. He, however, noticed. "Malfoy, I didn't know I had that kind of effect on you." He growled, and pushed against her shoulders a little harder, which made the heat rush through her again.

"Don't ever think you would have any effect on me but disgust." _'Gods she does.'_ "You'd better watch it, Weasley."

"Or what?"

"Or you will regret it." He let go of her and stalked away, out the door, and into the other train car.

'_What on Earth was that?'_ she asked herself, her breathing slightly off from normal. She shook her head to clear the odd feeling she got from being so close to him, and went into the bathroom to throw cold water on her flushed face. She walked through the opposite door, the one Draco hadn't gone through, and back to the compartment.

"Hey Gin, what took you so long?" Ron asked.

"I ran into the amazing bouncing ferret." This made them laugh.

"Did he do anything to you?" Harry asked, with a protective brotherly gleam in his eyes.

'_Yeah, he did…'_

"We called each other a few names, told each other to get lost, blah blah blah. The usual." Which wasn't exactly a lie. She sat down and sprawled out on the seat with her head on Fred's lap. When Hermione left a while ago, Fred had switched seats because they would have more room that way.

The door to their compartment opened and they saw that it was Hermione, but instead of her coming in, someone collided with her and sent them both to the floor.

"Ow!"

"Oh goodness I'm so sorry!" said a female voice. Hermione and the others looked at the girl who flew into her and the guys eyes widened. She was a pretty blonde with long light hair and a sporty but curvy figure. "I didn't see you. I was running, though I shouldn't have been…"

"It's alright, I'm fine," said Hermione. The girl stood and held out a hand to help Hermione up.

"Heh, really sorry about that."

Hermione smiled. "I told you, it's fine." She stuck out her hand to shake the other girls' hand. "Hermione Granger."

"Aurora Malfoy. Nice to meet you!"

* * *

I hope you liked it! Please review, they keep me motivated! Also, I really hate flames, so please refrain from sending them. They are pointless, and immature. Constructive criticism is welcomed! Thank you!


	2. New Students

Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or its characters except for Aurora and whoever else I put in this story.

NOTE: I know that the description of the Gryffindor dorms matches almost exactly the same description in Iris, but that is how I see the dorms, so I don't really want to change it. There are some differences.

So don't get mad and please don't point it out.

* * *

I'll go around a time or two

Just to waste my time with you

Tell me all that you've thrown away

Find out games you don't wanna play

* * *

-

* * *

"Aurora Malfoy! Nice to meet you!"

Everyone had wide eyes, this time.

"You're a Malfoy?" Ron asked...more like shouted.

"Um…yeah. Is there a problem? Ohhhh wait…you're the Weasleys, aren't you?" They nodded. "Ah, hehe sorry. Well I have no problem with you because I've never met any of you. So how about we start from the beginning? I'm Aurora! But you can call me Rora, or Rory, or Ari. Whatever you prefer. What are your names?" They all looked at her in shock. This was a Malfoy! Talking to them civilly! A very happy, energetic, bubbly Malfoy…

"Oh, well, my name is Ron."

"Fred."

"George."

"Ginny."

"Harry."

"Oh you must be Harry Potter. Draco says a lot…anyway, so what year are you all in?" _'Damn…Draco never said anything about how handsome Harry is…oh well of course he wouldn't. He's not gay and he hates him.'_

"Why don't you come in and sit down?" Fred asked. Both he and George immediately stood, offering their seats. Ginny growled at Fred, who made her lose her pillow. She sat up and smiled lightly at Aurora, who laughed.

She wasn't part veela, but to the guys, she could have been. She had long straight-ish white-blonde hair that reached a little below her waist, and light blue eyes instead of the grey Draco had. Her chest wasn't too big, but it wasn't too small either – slightly smaller than Ginny's.

"Alright, thank you. That's very nice of you, especially because of the feud between our families." She walked in and sat between Ginny and Hermione. Fred went back to sitting next to George, who grumbled because she didn't take his seat. Fred then promptly laughed at him, and Ron moved to the window seat next to Harry so they would have enough room. "So what year are you all in?"

"Oh, sorry for not answering that. We're all in our 6th year, except Ginny. She's in her 5th. What year are you in?" Hermione asked.

"I'm in my 5th as well. I just transferred from a prestigious school in France, Beuxbatons. Ugh…wayyy too prestigious if you ask me. They all need to get their sticks out of their…well, you know." A few of them laughed.

"So who are you to Malfoy? His sister?" asked Ginny.

"Yep." Her eyes darkened. "Lucius," she spat, "didn't want another child but my mother made sure it happened. She drugged his wine one night so he wouldn't be sober enough to perform an anti-pregnancy charm on her. And she got what she wanted, a daughter. Of course she never told him of this. Only me and Draco. Lucius just think he forgot and looks at me as a mistake."

"Wow…I know it's not my business, but you must not like your father," Hermione said gently.

"He's not my father. He's an evil bastard," the blonde said fiercely. They all were taken aback. "Sorry. I just really hate him."

"I'm sorry for bringing it up."

"It's okay, Hermione. Anyway, what are you all taking this year?"

And so they all talked and chattered and laughed and joked, all throughout the rest of the way to Hogwarts.

"Smith, Susan."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Sorrell, Nikki."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Stein, Anna."

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Wagner, Stacy."

"HUFFELPUFF!"

"Weinstin, Claud."

"RAVENCLAW!"

"That ends the first years," McGonagall stated. "We have four transfer students this year. Hawethorne, Trinity."

She was a tall girl with short black hair that barely brushed her shoulders and a purple streak in the front on the right side. She had cool hazel eyes that were more green than brown, and a lithe sporty body with not too much muscle, but enough to tell she was good at sports. The hat seemed to take a little while with her, but it finally decided on Gryffindor, causing an uproar from their table; they received the most students so far.

"Langley, Zack."

"SLYTHERIN!"

Some of the Slytherins clapped because they grew up knowing him.

"Malfoy, Aurora." The great hall erupted in gasps and whispers. No one except select people in Slytherin knew that Draco had a sister. They also gasped at her beauty.

"Hmmm…this is very difficult. You are just like Harry Potter."

"How so?"

"I could not choose between Gryffindor and Slytherin with him. I finally went with Gryffindor because he begged for it, but also because while he had Slytherin traits, he was indeed a true Gryffindor."

"Well, I know people in both Gryffindor and Slytherin so I guess I don't mind which one I get placed in. I'm glad you didn't say Ravenclaw; I'm not that intelligent. Besides, I prefer mischief and bravery over smarts."

"Intelligence comes in many different ways, Miss Malfoy. Your brother…yes I remember him. I sorted him right into Slytherin even before I reached his head, but he would do well in Ravenclaw if not for his strong Slytherin traits."

"Interesting…so what will it be?"

"I suppose…cunning comes in both Slytherin and Gryffindor, but so does bravery…you have a very happy and bubbly personality…with a personality like that, I cannot put you in Slytherin. I guess it had better be GRYFFINDOR!"

The Gryffindor table erupted in cheers, but Aurora didn't look too happy. Draco could tell, as she walked by him, that her smile was fake. He always knew when she put up a mask, and he frowned in concern, but he figured he knew why she was conflicted – their father, one of the worst Death Eaters out there. He would not be pleased, even though he wanted nothing to do with her.

"And finally, Senzenin, Michiru."

"SLYTHERIN!"

Dumbledore made his speech and waved his hands to make the food appear. "Dig in, everyone," he said. And with that, he sat down.

"Hey, Aurora?" Ginny prodded.

"Hm?"

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing…"

"That's not true, I can tell. What's wrong? Aren't you happy to be in Gryffindor with us? Or did you want to be in Slytherin with your brother?"

"It's not that…while I would love to be in Slytherin, it's just not as me as Gryffindor is, I guess. I feel like I am completely half and half, but just slightly tipped more towards Gryffindor. You know?"

Ginny nodded; she knew very well. She had almost been placed in Slytherin, but no one knew that. Yet. "So what's the problem?"

"Lucius…he's in Azkaban but if he ever breaks out, I'm dead."

That was all she needed to say. Immediately, the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione were chattering with her, to make her feel better, and it worked. Draco looked at them from his table across the hall, and while he hated the fact that the Weasels, Potter, and Mudblood were hanging all over his sister, they were making her happy, so he let it go and began to eat.

After dinner, Hermione and the two Gryffindor prefects led the Gryffindors to their dorm and quieted them. Hermione spoke first, and the two prefects would lead the first years through the doors when she was done.

"Alright ladies. First years, your rooms will be up these stairs to the very left. You will go through the door that says First Year Dorm and up another flight of stairs. Second and third years, you will do the same but your doors will be to the right of the year below you, and you will also go up one floor. Fourth and fifth years, you will be going up two floors, and sixth and seventh years will be going up three floors.

The rooms have your names on them, so they won't be hard to find. There are also small study rooms on the third floor, as you older students already know, for the purpose of not having to schlep all the way down here to sit in comfortable chairs. The same goes for the guys, except yours is the opposite from what I explained to the girls. First years will go all the way to the right and up those stairs. All other years will go through the doors to the left of the year below you. Any questions?" Hermione said to everyone. They shook their heads and began filing through the main two-way door to their dormitories.

Hermione headed up three flights of stairs to the 6th year rooms. She would be rooming with a blonde named Angela Keaton and a girl with soft wavy cream-colored hair named Eva Smith. Ginny also found herself with girls she hadn't known before, but had seen around. Zara King, Trinity Hawethorne the transfer student, and Rose Clark.

The floor plan for Gryffindor is slightly complicated. The first, second, and third years on the first floor had five rooms that fit six people in each of their respective corridors, the fourth and fifth year dorms had six quads and two triples each, and the sixth and seventh years had twelve doubles and six singles each. This system was one used both Gryffindor and Huffelpuff. Ravenclaw and Slytherin had completely different floor plans but in all four houses, incoming sixth and seventh year students could apply in the summer before they started the school year for the singles. They were given a random number and for the amount of singles in each house, the amount of students with the lowest numbers that corresponded with the number of rooms were chosen.

Aurora walked through the large main door to the girls' dormitories. She walked into a hallway with three doors, and walked through the one in the middle that read Fourth and Fifth year Dormitories. She walked up a staircase that was straight for about a minute, but then spiraled widely. She finally came to a hallway with two doors, and took the one on the right, which said 'Fifth Year Dormitory."

She entered into a very wide hallway with nine doors on either side (six of them were quads and the other two were triples). The hallway was filled with students, which she tried to wind around, and looked at every door to see where her name was. She finally found her door, number 5 on the right side. It was two doors down from Ginny's room, to her relief. On her door were three other names besides hers – Katie Sherry, Brittany Mayes, and Amanda O'Neill.

She walked in and immediately the three chattering girls quieted. "Hi," she said. She looked around to see which bed had not been taken, and thankfully, it was the closest to the door – the one she preferred.

"Um…hi," Brittany, the tan girl with bleached blonde hair said with a tone that Aurora couldn't quite understand. She shrugged it off and started to unpack her things. After about five minutes or so, she noticed that the girls weren't talking much so she stood and faced them.

"Look is there something wrong with me?"

"No, why do you ask?" Amanda said.

"Because when I was standing at the door, I heard you all talking excitedly. From when I came in until now, you've all been silent. If you have a problem with me, just say it to my face. I thought Gryffindors were supposed to be brave."

Brittany's eyebrows furrowed. "Yeah, we have a problem with you."

"YOU do, I never said anything," Amanda put in. She seemed to be the nicer of the three.

Aurora's eyes swiveled back to Brittany. "Oh? So what's your problem then? Is it because I'm a _Malfoy_?"

"Yeah, actually, it is!"

She wrinkled her nose. "You disgust me."

"How do I disgust you? It's you who should disgust me! Malfoys in Gryffindor…that should be illegal!"

"You don't even know her! How can you just judge her by her name?" Amanda suddenly yelled.

Brittany looked at her, shocked. "I thought you were on my side, you little twit."

"I never agreed or disagreed with you. It's your fault for assuming. If anyone's the twit, it's you."

"Amanda…it's Amanda, right?" Aurora asked. The girl with the chocolate-colored ponytail nodded. "You don't have to stick up for me. You're obviously just as uncomfortable about me being here as the other two are."

"I may be a little uncomfortable with people I don't know, but I'm not uncomfortable because of your heritage. Please don't assume that about me, either. I'm not about to judge someone because o their name."

"Well thanks and all that, but I can handle myself." Aurora turned back to Brittany. "Now listen here you stupid fake bimbo." Brittany looked shocked beyond belief. "I don't care who you are, or that your family is one of the wealthiest and richest families in all of England. Guess what? So is mine. And even if it wasn't, I still wouldn't care because you're nothing but a silly little bitch who should have been sorted into Hufflepuff. Now stop talking to me; you're not worth my time. Oh and if you give Amanda any trouble for sticking up for me, you'll really hear it."

Amanda sent a shy smile her way and began to unpack more of her things. Just as Brittany began to yell back at Aurora, Ginny walked into the room.

"Hey, Ginny."

"Hey…ugh there are two girls in my dorm who are absolutely _awful_. I can't stand them. All they do is talk about nonsense crap like boys and makeup and Malfoys…it's grating on my nerves. I hope you're faring a little better."

"Oh believe me, I know exactly what you're talking about." Aurora glared at Brittany.

"Why are you staring at me, bitch? I thought I wasn't worth a _Malfoy's_ time."

Ginny turned towards the girl, her eyes narrowed, and her face grew into a snarl. "Watch who you're talking to."

"Don't you dare talk to me that way, Weasley! You know, I simply love your pants. Are those chains hand-me-downs?"

"Oh that's a fantastic comeback. I think I heard a better one from a two year old last week. I told you to watch who you're talking to and I meant it."

"Why don't you watch who you're screwing, you disgusting lowlife? You never know when Dean will come back for more after he's screwed the entire female population of Gryffindor. Oh and don't forget Ravenclaw. I even heard he's screwed a couple Slytherins while he was with you."

That did it. Ginny broke into a run and crossed the room with three bounds. She knocked Brittany off her feet and started beating her with her fists. Aurora ran after her and tried to pull her off. "YOU STUPID FUCKING BITCH! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THE FUCK YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT! STOP TALKING SHIT ABOUT SITUATIONS YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!"

"GINNY!" With Amanda's help, Aurora was able to pry Ginny off. While she held Ginny in a hold, she came up with an idea. "You know what, I think I should switch with one of the girls in your room. What do you think?" Ginny just kept glaring at Brittany, who was now sporting an ugly, growing bruise under her right eye and a broken, bloody nose. Ginny nodded. "Will you stay put if I let you go so I can move my stuff to your room?" Ginny nodded again and Aurora slowly let go.

Aurora had her stuff together in a matter of seconds and with that, walked out the door after Ginny turned on her heel and stalked out. There were people in the corridor who were staring at them because of the short fight they heard, but when Ginny glared at them, they fled; the Weasley temper was as well known throughout the school as Fred and George's heroic escape two years before. When the two girls walked into Ginny's room, there was a screaming match, and eventually, Zara King's trunk and her other bags were thrown out the door. When she ran out to pick them up, the door closed in her face and her name switched to Aurora Malfoy. She growled and grumbled angrily and walked down the hall to the room Aurora just left, finding her name already on that door. Rose made a fuss, but with a glare from Ginny, Aurora, and Trinity, she fell silent and stalked out of the room.

Aurora stuck out her hand and shook Trinity's. "Aurora Malfoy. I hope you don't have a problem with my last name. It's really getting on my flippin' nerves."

"Trinity Hawethorne. No, I don't. Names mean nothing to me." The two girls smiled, and this made Ginny feel much better.

The next few days were fairly uneventful. Aurora couldn't find Draco, so she stuck with Ginny, Trinity, and the "Dream Team," as Draco liked to call them. They still had a couple of days left to themselves before classes started – three to be exact – so they all took it easy.

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**Hope you all liked it! And thanks for the great reviews! They really motivate me :D so please write more of them!**


	3. Second Encounter and Quidditch

Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything but my idea for the story and the characters I made up.

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Tell me all that you've thrown away

Find out games you don't wanna play

You are

The only one that needs to know

* * *

It was a week into the school year, and everything had been going smoothly so far. Aurora found her brother and hung out with him a few times. The Slytherins were sort of used to her, and knew to never bother her even though she was a Gryffindor because Draco would murder them – they didn't have to hear that from his mouth to know it was true. She even sat with them once or twice, but today, she was sitting with the Gryffindors at lunch.

"So Harry, when are quidditch tryouts?" Ginny asked, popping a grape in her mouth. He finished chewing on a piece of steak before he answered.

"Middle of next week. You trying out, Gin?"

"Mm-hmm. For chaser and seeker. First and second choices, respectively."

"Nice. I think you'd do great in both positions. I'll see you there." Ginny beamed at his words, making him smile back at her.

Just then, Amanda walked into the great hall and sat down on the long bench at the table far from them. Aurora nudged Ginny and pointed subtly at the girl. Ginny turned to look, and saw a tear run down Amanda's cheek, but the girl brushed it away quickly while her hand lingered near her ear. She tucked a strand of hair behind it in an attempt to hide the dampness on her skin.

The two girls shared a worried glance and got up to walk over to her. She looked up when they sat down on either side of her, Aurora's low pig tails swishing from her neck from the movement, and she sniffed.

"Hi," she said with a slightly cracked voice.

"Hey. What's wrong?" Aurora asked, getting right to the point.

"Nothing, why do you ask?"

"Amanda, you're crying," Ginny pointed out. "Was it something with your family?"

"No…"

Ginny placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Then what's wrong? If you talk about it, maybe we can help. Or at least be here for you."

"It's…well…my roommates…they were talking about you, Aurora…so I defended you, strongly, and they all attacked me."

Aurora gasped and Ginny's eyes hardened. "They didn't hex you, did they?" the blonde asked.

"No…they attacked my family. They said I wasn't worth anything, that Professor Dumbledore only sent me a letter because he felt pity for me…I tried to defend myself but I don't like giving true information about my background. They said that I don't mean anything to anyone. Then I left."

"That's not true!" Aurora stood up quickly, nearly knocking her bag off the bench, and startling Amanda. Draco looked across the room when he heard his sister's outraged cry. He was lounging at the Slytherin table with Pansy, Blaise, and the transfer Zack.

"What?" Amanda asked.

"That you mean nothing! You are one of the sweetest people I've ever met!"

"Don't you DARE believe what they told you. None of that is true." Ginny added. "When we get done with them…they will rue the day they ever messed with Ginny Weasley and Aurora Malfoy." Ginny's voice, much unlike Aurora's, was lower, but deadly, dangerous, and fierce. In her eyes was a glowing fire that no one messed with; the Weasley temper, as people called it. Amanda gave them a small smile, and Aurora sat back down.

"Hey I have an idea!" Ginny suddenly shouted, immediately brightening up. "Why don't you move into our room?" Amanda's eyes lit up.

"Really? You'd let me do that?"

"Of course!" Aurora put in. "Why wouldn't we?"

"But what about Rose?" Amanda asked.

"Oh, we hate her."

The brunette chuckled softly. "Well then…I guess…and, what about your other roommate? What's her name…"

Ginny stood up and looked towards the end of the table. "Yo, Trin!" The black haired girl, who, I forgot to mention earlier, sported a deep purple streak down the left side of her head where the hair was longest, turned to look at Ginny.

"What?"

"You want a new roommate?"

"Definitely!"

Ginny smiled and sat back down. "There. Done." Amanda couldn't hold back her smile. She liked her new roommates already.

Draco rolled his eyes. So that's what his sister was yelling about. He could care less about the other girls, as long as she was okay.

* * *

Ginny was running down the corridors towards her transfiguration class she had in five minutes, when she rounded a corner and collided with a hard body, sending both of them to the floor.

"Owww…I'm so sorry, I didn't see you because I'm late and I was running..."

"Damnit! Watch where you're going, Weasley."

Ginny looked up and sneered, and stood, along with Malfoy. "Maybe it's you who needs to watch where _you're_ going." He was shocked; he'd never received that comment before. But he shrugged it off and brought himself back to the situation.

"I don't have to. You're just a lowly Weasley; you're not worth apologizing to. You need to watch who you run into, or next time, it might not be so pretty."

"Oh, so you DO admit I'm attractive." She smirked at him and raised her head in an arrogant way. His jibe at her being not of worth had hurt, but she reminded herself to play his game. It worked. Her anger ebbed away at the prospect of putting him at a loss for words.

"With that hair, those freckles, and those hand-me-downs? I don't think so."

"Oh I do."

"And what makes you think that?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Your reactions."

"The only way I react when I see you, Red, is with disgust."

"Really? That's interesting, because I don't see it on your face. The way you reacted to me on the train…you actually touched me, Malfoy, on your own accord. That doesn't seem like disgust to me."

"That's a little thing I like to call anger, Red. You should know it well, with that temper of yours. Now get out of my way."

"You can easily walk around me!" Her temper was getting the better of her.

"I'm better than you. You should respect your betters. Now move before I have to make you." Ginny placed her hands on her hips, and like on the train, didn't realize how much it accentuated her breasts. This actually did cause a reaction from him, but he didn't dare show it. It did, however, make it harder for him to make her move.

"I guess you'll just have to force me, then."

"Weasley!" he growled, frustrated.

"Malfoy!" she mocked.

"Damn, you're stubborn."

"I've been told."

"Feisty wench."

"Stupid ferret." She smirked.

"I don't know why you Weasley's think that name you call an insult bothers me."

Ginny shrugged. "Maybe because the situation it came from was so unkind and unfair that it bruised your ego and your pride. So are you gonna make me move or what? You're making me late for my class."

"Why should I care? Now I have a reason to stay here and make _you_ move around _me_."

"You're a bastard."

"I may not consider Lucius to be my father, but I am certainly not a bastard. You see, Weasley, I contain both my mother's and Lucius's genes, and they are married."

She had less than a minute to get to her class, so she sucked up her pride and pushed past him, shoving him as she did. "Oh sod off, Malfoy. I don't have time for this. See ya later." She casually waved a hand in his direction and ran to the classroom, not a second late. He looked after her with an odd expression on his face, then shook his head.

"Brat." He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked down the hallway towards the door to the dungeons.

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**I hope you at least liked this chapter. Next one will come soon. Review please.**


	4. Teasing

Chapter 4

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything but Aurora, my other made up chars, and the plot.

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You are

The only one that needs to know

I'll keep you my dirty little secret

Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret

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"Oh will you quit griping?"

"You would act the same way if you got this bloody grade, Ginny!" Aurora held up a piece of parchment. Ginny, Trinity, and Amanda grimaced at the mark at the top. "Yeah! See?"

"Maybe if you studied more, you wouldn't get such an awful grade," Ginny said.

Aurora threw the paper at her.

"If you want, I can help you," Amanda piped up. "I'm quite good at arithmancy and calculus, if you need help with that, too." Aurora smiled gratefully.

"Wow thanks, Mans." Amanda smiled at the nickname Aurora made up. Ginny rolled her eyes.

"You're welcome. Ginny do you need help, too?"

"A little wouldn't hurt, but I'm pretty good in that subject. Thanks."

"Of course."

The door opened and Hermione walked in, sitting on the floor between Ginny and Aurora. Amanda and Trinity were lounging on their beds. "Hi. What are you all up to?"

"Rora failed her arithmancy test."

"Ginny!"

"What? She would have found out eventually."

"You failed it?" Hermione gasped. "Aurora!"

"Look, I don't need any lectures. So I didn't study. OH MERLIN IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD!" She fell back on the floor so she was lying down, and splayed her arms out, taking up more space. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply.

Hermione rolled her eyes this time, and lightly whacked the girl's arm. "You should study more often, you know. I know I know, I study all the time, blahblahblah. But you're barely studying at all. I don't want to be the one to bring this up, but aren't you afraid of what your…of what Lucius will do if he finds out?"

"Yeah…" she said quietly; not the reaction Hermione and the others were expecting - a blow up. Trinity, who had been quiet, spoke up.

"Rora, you can study with me on Tuesdays. We both have free periods at 1:00. How's that?"

"Yeah…"

"So Ginny," Trinity started, wanting to change the subject. "I hear you've been bumping into Draco Malfoy a lot recently."

"How the hell did you hear that?"

"Things get around in this school. Just don't ask these impossible questions. So?"

"Wipe that gin off your face, Trin. I don't like running into him, and it's not like I want to, or that I plan it. Why would I when all he talks about is how disgusting and filthy I am?"

"Oh please. How can you NOT like it? It's Draco Malfoy! He's only the hottest guy in the school."

"HEY HEY HEY! That's my BROTHER you're drooling over!" Aurora shouted, shooting up into a sitting position and looking thoroughly scandalized, her eyes wide as dinner plates. This sent the girls into roaring fits of laughter.

"He IS hot, I must admit," Amanda threw in. Aurora's eyes went wider, making them laugh even harder.

"I mean, his gorgeous face," Hermione began, with a large playful grin on her own face.

"And not to mention his amazing biceps, his shoulders …he's so well defined and cut," Trinity added, shaking her head, making the left side of her hair with the purple streak swish with her movements. "All that quidditch training did him good."

Aurora let out a yell and covered her head with her arms. "STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT! UGH!" None of the girls could say anything anymore, they were all laughing so hard. "I hate you all…I don't need to hear that about my brother!"

"Awww but it's so much fun to watch you squirm!" Ginny said, still laughing. Aurora, who was right next to her bed, reached up, grabbed, and threw a pillow at the redhead, making her yelp, but causing her to laugh harder.

"C-c-come on, let's…hahaha let's go to dinner," Trinity managed to get out between giggles.

"Okay, yeah I'm hungry," Ginny said, finally stopping to catch her breath. Aurora stood up, grabbed her bag, and held the door open for them, grumbling all the while, and promptly re-starting their laughter.

They finally made their way down the stairs to the common room, grabbed Harry, Ron, Fred, and George, and continued down to the Great Hall to eat.

"WHY won't you tell us what's so funny?" Ron asked for the tenth time.

"Don't worry about it, Ronald," Ginny answered, snorting, trying to stop her giggles. Ron glowered, almost as much as Aurora was.

Harry was walking next to her, trying to figure out what happened in their room. They reached the hall and sat down to eat. Draco and his group were there as well, just finishing up.

"What did they do to you? I hope it was nothing awful." Harry looked at the girls with a playful glare.

This oddly made her chuckle. "No…well sort of but…ugh…" They broke out into fits of laughter again and she turned on them. "OY! It's NOT funny!"

"Oh yes it is! It's HANDSOMELY funny!"

"GINNY WEASLEY!"

"AURORA _MALFOY_!"

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* * *

Draco, Blaise, Pansy, and Zack Langley, the transfer who grouped up with them, looked at the Gryffindors like they were mental…which they probably thought they were.

Aurora shook her head, sighed, and dropped it onto the table with a bang. When she picked it up, she noticed Draco and his friends beckoning her over to their table. She picked up her plate and utensils, and stood up.

"I'm gonna go over there for a bit; they're summoning me."

"Aww Rora, we were just joking," Amanda said.

"I know." She couldn't hide the slight grin on her face, even though she was annoyed, she knew they were only having fun, and that she would have done the same

"Alright we'll see you later," Hermione said, with a huge grin still plastered on her face.

Aurora walked over to the Slytherin table, taking note of but not caring about the other Gryffindors, Huffelpuffs, and Ravenclaws who stared at her, and sat down between Draco and Blaise, shoving Blaise out of the way.

"Hey, Rory that wasn't nice." He pouted.

"Suck it up, be a man." She began to eat.

Draco chuckled. "What was that all about? All that making fun of you?"

"Nothing."

"Rora, why were they laughing at you?"

"I said it's nothing, Drake."

"Hm."

"Oh come on, Aurora," Pansy prodded. The blonde gave her a heated look, and she backed off. "Fine. But I expect you to tell me later."

"Hmph." Pansy laughed at her friend's short remark.

"Are you mad at them?" Zack asked.

"Eh…they just don't know when to shut up, but they mean well. Besides, it was you lot that wanted me to come over here."

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"Why'd you have to push her away?"

"Aww what's wrong, Harry? Have a crush?" Ginny asked, teasing. They could've sworn that he blushed.

"I most certainly do not. As great of a friend she is, she's a Malfoy."

"Are you afraid of her big bad evil death eater brother attacking you?"

"No, Ginny! I just don't like her like that! That's all."

Ginny wasn't convinced. She also noticed that George wasn't saying anything, but glaring at Harry once in a while, and eating his dinner. She made a mental note to think about that later.

"So Ron, how's transfig going for you?" she asked between bites.

"Okay. You?"

"Pretty good, actually. Harry?"

"Great. Better than last year, definitely."

"And potions? I'm so glad McGonagall let you take it for N.E.W.T level."

"Yeah, me too," he said, looking relieved and happy. "Snape may be a bastard, but at least he's teaching a subject I'm good at. Slughorn loves me. I'm not worried about doing well enough to become an auror, now."

"Hm, yeah I know. I like Slughorn, too. Snape's not so bad, though. You just have to know how to deal with him. Like not talking back and not being a git." She stuck her tongue out at Harry.

"Perhaps you'd like to deal with me in detention Saturday night if I am so easy to deal with, Miss Weasley?"

Ginny turned and smiled at the now defense against the dark arts professor. "No, professor. I wouldn't. I would much rather be doing my defense homework at that time."

"Hm." He skulked off without another word. Harry looked at Ginny with a raised eyebrow but said nothing; They were somewhat used to Snape's odd actions.

"So remember to be at tryouts tomorrow, Gin. You too, Ron."

"I will." Ginny smiled, and Ron nodded – he couldn't answer due to the large amount of food in his mouth, so he sort of grunted. Hermione shook her head and Ginny laughed. Fred and George began a game of poking him to see who could get him to spit out his food first, causing Ginny to laugh even harder and Ron to glare at them. He hit one away, then turned to hit the other away. This went back and forth for a while.

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* * *

"Ginny, you're up!" Harry yelled to her. She had already tried out for chaser, and was neck and neck with Aurora. Trinity was a close third, and Colin Creevey and Steven Green were tied for fourth. They were clearly the best chasers he'd ever seen, save for Angelina Johnson and Katie Bell, who were currently the best Chaser duo in quidditch history. They played for England's national team.

Ginny was sitting on the stands with Aurora, and jumped down with the new broom she bought for herself from the money she earned by working over the last few summers. It was a beautiful black firebolt, but not the newest one. She didn't care, it was her hard earned broom.

Harry turned her around and instructed her to close her eyes, then let the snitch loose into the air. He waited one minute and then let her go searching for it. She found it within an impressive two minutes, to which Harry beamed. He then sent her up three more times, and she caught it within a span of 5 minutes each time. He sat her down and called out a few more, then went on to the beaters.

After a few short practices with different keepers, chasers, and beaters, he decided to put everyone in and chose Ginny and Olivia Whittaker first for the seekers. He divided everyone up into two teams with enough students left over for one more team. While he watched them play, he would switch up with the people sitting on the benches. After about two hours, he stopped everything and brought everyone to the ground.

"Alright, I've decided who will be in what positions, and the list will be on the posting wall right outside the Great Hall on Monday. Thank you all for coming." They waved and departed, but Ron, Ginny, Aurora, Fred, and George stayed behind.

"So I know this is completely unprofessional, but you two are still the best beaters I've ever seen," he said to Fred and George, who both grinned.

"Well naturally," Fred said.

"What kind of Weasleys would we be if we weren't?" George said playfully. Harry knew they were only joking and laughed along with them.

"I will, however, do something different from the other captains. I'm going to have substitutes, and sometimes put people on rotation so everyone gets a chance to play. Basically, I will have more of every position."

"I actually like that much better," Ron said. "So are you gonna tell us if we got on or not?"

"No, sorry. I really shouldn't, it just slipped out about Fred and George." Ron pouted, making Harry chuckle. "You'll see on Monday. I'll say, though, you were great. If you could gain a little more confidence, you'd be much better off. Rora, Ginny, you two were amazing out there. Keep up the good work." It was their turn to beam. "Also, don't tell anyone PLEASE, but I'm having callbacks tomorrow afternoon for the many people I really liked and want to see again. I'll send you a notice by owl post with the details, and if I want you to come back. If I don't send you one, it doesn't necessarily mean that you're off the team. It could also mean that I don't have to see you again to know that you're already on." They nodded.

They finally reached the castle and walked inside, bumping into Draco, Pansy, Blaise, Zack, another Slytherin girl they never really got to know, Eva Mayes, who was the cousin of Brittany in Gryffindor and much more down to Earth, and the girl they recognized from the transfers in the beginning of the month – Michiru Sanzenin. She came from a strict Japanese school near Tokyo. It was Pansy who spoke first.

"Well look who it is. The Dream Team and company," she said rudely, more to her group than directed towards the Gryffindors.

Aurora smiled. "Hey, Pansy."

Pansy couldn't hold in her slight smile. She always held a fondness for the littlest Malfoy. "Hey, Ro. So did you make the team?" She asked, eying Harry with a glare.

"I won't know until Monday. You know the rules."

"Hm. Well as much as I absolutely despise Gryffindor, you better have made it, because you are one of the best chasers I have ever seen."

Again, she glared at Harry, silently threatening him, but he didn't take the bait. He simply stood there, glaring back at her. "Rules are rules. If she is good enough, she will have made it," he said coldly.

"Heh…um yeah so, we were in a slight hurry so…I'll see you around," Aurora said, feeling the intense tension. You could almost cut it with a knife. The Slytherin nodded and as the two groups passed each other in the hallway, Draco ruffled his sister's hair. "Oy! Draco!" He snorted and walked away with his hands in his pockets when she stuck her tongue out at him. He glanced behind him and winked at her. "Grrr…"

"He really loves you, doesn't he?"

Aurora turned at the sudden question, asked quietly so only she and Ginny heard it. It was more surprising than if any of the others asked the question, because it was Harry.

"Um, yeah, he does." The older boy smiled awkwardly and continued walking.

"Sorry, it's just…with the experience I've had with him, it's hard to believe that he could love." Not much was said about quidditch between them from that point on, into the night. Aurora went to visit Draco, Pansy, and Blaise before hours, Ron and Harry played Wizard's Chess, and Ginny, Fred, and George sat in a huddle by the fire, coming up with pranks to pull on unsuspecting victims.

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**Once again, thanks for the great reviews! I hope you liked this chapter. It was fun to write. **


	5. Happy Birthday

Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own anything except Aurora, and other characters that I made up, and the plot line.

Thank you SO much for the wonderful reviews! And here's some romance for you, Chloe Maria LiClaire: D

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I'll keep you my dirty little secret

Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret

I hope that you can keep it, my dirty little secret

Who has to know?

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"HAPPY BIRTHDAY GINNY!"

Ginny grinned as she walked into the Great Hall for lunch that Saturday. It was October 3rd, her birthday, and she finally turned 16. She was older than a lot of her classmates in her year, and she was proud of it. She could have been a very young 6th year, but she just missed the cut-off line; she and Ron were only nine months apart. Ron was born early and the gestation period for a magical woman was eight months.

She rushed up to the Gryffindor table and into the large group of her friends, who all hugged her, forming a huge mess of laughing people. "Thanks so much, you guys!"

There was a big vanilla cake with multi-colored frosting sitting on the table, ready to be cut. Her housemates, and a few friends from Ravenclaw and Huffelpuff (among which was Luna), were prodding her to make a wish and blow out the candles so they could eat the delicious-looking desert.

"Alright! Alright! Geez." She closed her eyes. '_I wish…'_

"Gin?" she heard Aurora ask, and opened her eyes.

"Yeah, I'm done." She smiled and blew out the candles…to find out they lit up again. "You guys got me trick candles? Ohhhhhhhh!" She groaned but laughed at the same time. They made up a game to see who could blow out as many as they could first, and eventually, Hermione won, with nine candles. They finally got a little bored and magically made them stop, after which Ginny took them out and cut her cake.

* * *

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* * *

Draco looked over at the table and was continuously glancing at them ever since Ginny walked into the Great Hall. He watched in jealousy and anger, but he dared not show it, even to Pansy and Blaise, or his own sister. It didn't matter to him that they could see right through his masks, as long as he felt he was hiding it.

He stood up and motioned for Pansy and Blaise to follow him. They reached the Slytherin dorm and ventured up to Blaise's room to play a few games of wizard's chess. Just then, Aurora walked in, and sat down between Pansy and Blaise.

"I thought you were at Weasley's party," Draco casually said, while moving a chess piece to take Blaise's knight. Aurora heard the little bit of venom in his voice, though.

"I was, but I wanted to say hi to you. I barely ever have time to hang out with you guys because of O.W.L classes. Is that so much to ask for?"

"How are classes going for you?" Pansy asked, in order to stop an argument between the siblings, and she moving behind Aurora to play with her hair.

"Great, actually."

"I heard you failed an arithmancy test…"

"Pansy!"

"Aurora? You failed a test?" Draco asked, finding her more interesting than chess. He only really played because no one else would play with Blaise, the champion.

"Um…" She glared at Pansy, who pulled Aurora's hair a little too hard, making her wince.

"Don't glare at me. If you need help, you need to ask for it. Don't be like Draco and let your pride take over."

"Hey!" Draco protested.

"Don't give me that, Drake. Not only is it true, but it teaches your younger sister bad ways. Do you want to be a bad influence?"

"Hmph," the siblings huffed in unison.

Someone walked into the room and stopped dead in their tracks.

"Hey Livingston. What can I do you for?" Blaise asked when he looked up from the board. Bradley Livingston, known for being hostile but usually kept to himself.

"Why is there a Gryffindor in Slytherin?" he asked in a low, venomous voice.

Draco looked up at the other 6th year with a warning gleam in his eyes. "She is my sister. You know that."

"But why is she here?"

"Because her brother lives in Slytherin and she knows the password," Draco said as if he was talking to a child. "Do I have to spell everything out for you?"

"She knows the PASSWORD?"

"_Yes_, Livingston. Is there a problem?" Draco asked dangerously. Aurora, Pansy, and Blaise were all glaring at him, as well. Knowing better, he denied it.

"No."

"What did you want?" Blaise asked.

"Never mind." He turned and left the room.

"I don't really like that guy…" Pansy said.

"I used to think he was alright, but he's been acting weirder," Blaise added.

"I never liked him," came a voice from the doorway. A blonde girl named Anne walked in and wrapped her arms around Blaise's neck. Pansy looked away to hide the gleam in her eyes. Anne was Blaise's current girlfriend, and a friend, though not close, of Aurora. "Hey, Aurora."

"Hi. Anyway, I really should get back to Ginny's party. I'll come back later. Or just send me an owl when you're free." They nodded, and she left, with Draco walking her to the portrait hole; he didn't want to take any chances after what just happened.

* * *

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* * *

Back in the Gryffindor common room, Ginny's surprise birthday party continued, but this time, with butterbeer and some firewhisky for the older students. Harry sat down on a comfortable two person couch near the fireplace, drinking a warm butterbeer, when Aurora plopped down beside him.

"Hey you. Having fun?" she asked.

He nodded and smiled. "You?"

"Mm-hm." She reached out and snatched Harry's butterbeer, and took a sip.

"Hey!" He proclaimed, causing her to laugh.

She took one more sip and closed her eyes. "I've never had this before. Lucius wouldn't allow it in his house because it's 'a drink for low people, not high society people.' It's so delicious!"

"I can't believe you've never had butterbeer before. Well, you're allowed to go to Hogsmeade, right?"

"Yes, my mother signed the form. Remember, Lucius wants nothing to do with me so long as I don't cause trouble and don't go to the good side." She shrugged. "Too late for that."

"Hm…well in Hogsmeade, there's a pub where you can get it. It's called The Three Broomsticks. That's where we got the drinks from for tonight."

"You'll just have to take me there, then."

"Yeah, I guess I will." He smiled at her, and he received a sunny smile from her in return.

"Do you want to go take a walk or something? Out by the lake maybe? I need fresh air and I don't feel like going alone."

"I think I can keep you company."

She smiled again and they both stood, bidding Ginny another 'happy birthday!' and then promptly left the common room. Once they were outside, she took a deep breath and sighed. "I love it outside. It's so much better than being cooped up in that castle. And after all the rain we've had, it smells so good!"

Harry chuckled at her antics as she twirled around with her arms outstretched. He had his hands in his pockets, and walked down to the edge of the lake. She followed him, but she kept walking. He followed her this time, but slightly behind her, and couldn't help but admire her.

"How do you do it?"

This stopped her. She turned around and looked curiously at him. "What do you mean?"

"How do you stay so happy with a life that involves living with a crazy, maybe abusive man, death and destruction, and an evil half-breed maniac that thinks he's a lord? I don't understand how you do it."

She smiled softly at him."It's just who I am. I may have been through many hardships, but I know how to deal with them. I say to myself, 'Well this sucks, but I have to get through it or my life won't be worth living.' And I love my mother and Draco, and Pansy, Blaise, Theo and Zack, and now you guys. That's how I get by. By remembering that I have amazing friends and an amazing mother, and reminding myself of all the good times I've had. Reminiscing and making new memories."

"I really envy you."

"Don't. Just do what I do, and you'll be much happier."

There was a sudden gust of cool wind, which blew her hair over her shoulder, and some strands flew across her face. She yelped and giggled, trying to get her hair out of her face. Harry laughed and stepped towards her to brush them away.

She glanced up at him, her heart fluttering at his touch, and let him kiss her. They walked hand in hand around the lake, and then back to the castle, no words needed.

* * *

-

* * *

Ginny made the excuse that she had to take a walk to the owlery to write a letter to someone so that she could take a walk to clear her head. She was having a fantastic time at her party, but she had this 'thing' where if she was around a lot of people for a long time, she got anxious and had to take a break.

She was deep in thought and had reached the main floor when she turned a corner and nearly bumped into a body, sending her to the floor. She needed to stop doing that.

"Well isn't it the birthday girl. You seem to have a habit of running into me," came the cold drawl. She looked heatedly up at him from the floor.

"It's not like I want to, Malfoy. I'm not the one who seems to be a stalker."

"Oh so I'm stalking you now? That's rich, Weasley. Why on Earth would I want to stalk_ you_?"

"Because I'm desirable, honorable, trustworthy, and I don't let people walk all over me which makes me sexy. Guys like a girl with a temper." She flipped her hair to the side, revealing her neck to him. This gave him an odd feeling he definitely didn't want to feel while thinking of _her_.

"You're still going on about that?" He gave her his hand to help her up, something he wouldn't even be able to explain.

"Always. And thank you, oh so gentlemanly Malfoy, for helping a lady off the disgusting floor." Actually, the floors at Hogwarts were very clean, but she was putting up a show for him.

"I may be a jerk, but I am no asshole to women."

Ginny snorted at this. "So why do a lot of the girls you're with bawl their eyes out when you dump them? Use them? Throwing away a girl after using them up seems pretty asshole-ish to me."

He narrowed his eyes and grabbed her shoulders roughly, though not painfully, making her gasp softly in surprise. "I am NOT an asshole. I don't treat women like they are pieces of meat. I may not treat them like they're princesses, I may not have real relationships with them, but I don't just throw them out when I grow bored of them. It's not my fault when someone falls for me. I don't plan it that way. When I actually have feelings for someone, I'll have a relationship for her. Otherwise, it's just casual sex, and I always make that perfectly clear to them."

"Okay, geez. If that's true, maybe you should take a little more time to make it clearer, then. 'Cause they certainly don't think that way and they make you look really bad to everyone else." She couldn't not believe him when he used so much force and emotion in his voice. And that he explained himself to her was pretty big.

"I don't care about what people think about me."

"Then why'd you get so worked up when _I_ called you on it?"

'_Because I'm not an asshole...'_ "Because I am not like Lucius."

"I know you're not…" she said softly. "I didn't mean to imply that you were…"

He wanted to kiss that guilty look off her face. Now _he_ felt guilty for making her feel bad. He had no idea why, though, so he threw it to the back of his mind and forgot about it. He shrugged."Whatever. It means nothing to me."

She looked up at him. "Yeah, I guess nothing does."

"My friends do, Weasley. And my mother and sister. Don't assume you know me based on what you've heard."

"I don't."

"Sure seems like you do."

"Maybe the 'Golden Trio' do, well, just Ron and Harry, but _you_ shouldn't assume I am assuming shit about you when you know _nothing_ about me." She got him there, he had to admit, but he wouldn't admit to her, so he just glared at her.

"I know you well enough. How old are you, now? Fourteen? Fifteen? Still just an immature little girl. What do you know?" He sneered at her.

"No, you _don't_ know me, you egotistical jackass. I know I don't look _that_ young. Why do you always have to be such a bastard? I'm Sixteen, thank you very much, and I know a lot more than most fifth years."

"Oh, so you're finally of age." He smirked at her.

She raised an eyebrow. "Does that excite you?" She put emphasis on 'excite,' and placed a hand on her hip, which she stuck out a bit.

"What if it does?"

She wasn't expecting this; it wasn't what he was supposed to say, _and_ it surprised her. He was supposed to say no, and taunt her about being a Weasley. He, however, knew what she was expecting, so he modified his 'plan,' if you could call it that. He took a step towards her. She was about to take a step back, but she realized this was what he wanted, so she stood her ground and straightened her shoulders.

"Well, there isn't much I can do, then." She would play his game. Unknown to her because of his slightly baggy jeans, her answer made him hard, and full of want and desire for her. No, he told himself it was not for her, but for her body, which had matured very nicely over the past year. He took barely any notice of her last year, but since the train, he couldn't help but chance a look at her every now and then.

"You're right. If I wanted you, there's nothing you can do to stop me."

This made her heart pound, but in an excited way, surprisingly. So she decided to take on the offensive."That's where you're wrong, Malfoy. I can hold my own. I'd like to see you _try_ something. And don't. Call. Me. Red." Suddenly he pulled her to him and he ended up behind her, holding her around her waist with her arms clamped at her sides. His head was next to hers, and he spoke close to her ear, and what he said made shivers run down her spine.

"Never underestimate me, Red." He let her go, and was down the hall and out of sight within a minute, leaving her to stand there catching her breath.

* * *

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* * *

**I hope you all liked it! And thanks for the reviews! I'm writing more, and the next chapter will be up soon. I do have finals (I'm in college), but after that, I have ALL summer to write. :D Also, there will be more romance in the next chapter, and, uh...sexual tension lol. I promise I won't elongate it very much.**


	6. Quidditch and More Drama

Chapter 6

DISCLAIMER: Same as always. I own nothing that is not mine.

* * *

-

* * *

Just another regret hope that you can keep it my dirty little secret

Who has to know?

When we live such fragile lives

It's the best way we survive

* * *

-

* * *

The Quidditch lists were finally up outside the Great Hall on the large bulletin board the next morning. They could not go up until all of the captains finished them, and it took Harry longer to choose his team than he thought, but he finally did it. It was placed next to the Ravenclaw list, and furthest from the Slytherin list. It read:

**GRYFFINDOR QUIDDITCH TEAM**

_I, Harry Potter, captain of the Gryffindor quidditch team, hereby give you the list of this year's players._

_The teams are a little different this year, as you all have probably heard by now.  
We will have more than one player for each position so that there  
can be substitutions should something bad happen  
to one of the others. To those of you who did not receive callbacks, not all of you should worry._

_For some of you, that meant that I had already made my decision to place you on the team  
and I did not need to see any more of your skills.  
The team has been chosen not only by me but with the help of my co-captain, Ginny Weasley._

_The players were chosen fairly and without favoritism._

_**TEAM**_

_Keepers__: Ron Weasley, Andrew McGuinness, Emily Foyer_

_Chasers__: Ginny Weasley (main position), Aurora Malfoy, Trinity Hawthorne, Steven Green, Colin Creevey, Olivia Whittaker (main position)_

_Beaters__: Fred Weasley, George Weasley, Angelica Curry, Mark Shonenberg_

_Seekers__: Harry Potter, Olivia Whittaker (secondary position), Ginny Weasley (secondary position)_

_Signed: Harry Potter_

"Geez, Harry, it took you long enough," Ginny said. He pushed her playfully.

"You know it was hard."

"So why'd you put me and Olivia in two positions?" she asked.

"Because you're phenomenal at both of them, and she's pretty amazing, too, but we need chasers more than seekers…I'm not bragging, I swear, it's just that we really need them."

She laughed. "Harry, I know, it's okay. You don't have to tell me you're not bragging; you're not like that."

"ALRIGHT!" They both turned to the left to look at Aurora curiously at the happy shout.

"What are you so happy about?" Ginny asked.

"Pansy made the chaser position! She's wanted that for years!" Harry and Ginny rolled their eyes and laughed at her. Ginny walked a few steps to get to Aurora and looked at the Slytherin quidditch team list.

**SLYTHERIN QUIDDITCH TEAM**

_I, Draco Malfoy, captain of the Slytherin team, hereby give you the list of  
who made the team. No favoritism was used. Just as the other teams have done this year, the Slytherin  
team now has extra players for each position._

_Keepers__: Theodore Nott, Corbin Nott, Millicent Bullstrode (main position)_

_Chasers__: Pansy Parkinson, Blaise Zabini, Zack Langley, Marcus Flint, Lucinda Harrison, Kevin Folley, Mason O'Brian_

_Beaters__: Vincent Crabbe, Ann McDowell, Gregory Goyle, Millicent Bullstrode (secondary position)_

_Seekers__: Draco Malfoy, Morgan Laytner, Sheila Nott_

_Signed: Draco Malfoy_

"How come you're not happy about Blaise?" Ginny asked. She waved at Ron, Fred, and George as they walked up to them, glancing at the lists.

"Oh, because he's been on the team for years."

"I made keeper again?" Ron asked Harry.

Harry nodded and chuckled at Ron's expression. "Of course, you numbnut. You're one of the best keepers I've ever seen. You just need to stay confident."

Ron grinned. He then saw the Slytherin list and scowled. "Of course Malfoy made himself seeker. What an arrogant bastard." Aurora cleared her throat, causing Ron to remember she was there and he cringed, then slowly turned to look at her. "Sorry…"

"You do realize that Harry made himself seeker too, right?" Ron rolled his eyes. "They're really not that bad, you know. Slytherins. You're just so jaded by the stupid house rivalry that you can't see it," she said, annoyed.

"Aurora…you weren't here when they were their worst," Ron began. "They were nasty bastards who did everything they possibly could to ruin our lives."

"Oh please! And you were saints?" she asked.

"Um…no, not saints exactly…"

"Right. I'm sure you made their lives hell, too. I won't discuss this anymore, Ron."

"Fine."

She felt Harry take her hand gently and hold it, stroking her thumb so as to calm her. George saw this, but said nothing, and even Ginny missed the angry, hurt look that passed over his face for a fleeting moment.

"Harry, I hope you're ready for all of the accusations you'll get when people find out you two are an item, no matter what the team list says about favoritism" Ginny said.

He shrugged. "If they want to accuse me of that, let 'em. The only people who matter are my friends, so I don't care what they think." Aurora smiled and gently squeezed his hand.

"How brave of you, Potter." The group turned at Zack's voice and a feminine gasp, and saw him standing not too far away with Pansy and Blaise. Aurora's heart stopped for a moment as she looked at the shock on Pansy and Blaise's faces. Harry did not sneer; he kept a hard face, and a cold look in his eyes, but he did not sneer. For Aurora, he told himself. Then he squeezed her hand for comfort because he knew her heart was racing with fear. "You do know that once Draco finds out about this, you are going to be in a hell of a lot of trouble," Zack said, addressing Harry. Harry kept his cool façade, but Aurora said nothing.

"And you," he began in a soft but dangerous and scared voice, addressing Aurora. "I'm scared for you, Aurora. I'm ashamed, disappointed, and…scared for you."

"I can choose who I want to date, Zachary. None of you, not even Draco, has the right to stop me, even if it is the golden Harry Potter." She said this with a shaky voice, and even though she wanted to sound strong, she didn't. She looked Pansy in the eye, trying to see if she could find some glimmer of support of her, but she only found uncertainty. Blaise, who had no real dislike for any of them, steered Pansy away. Zack followed after lingering a little to glare at Harry, as if he were at fault for seducing his friend's little sister.

Aurora began to cry and Harry pulled her into an embrace. "Don't cry, please don't cry. Nothing will happen; I will keep you safe, I promise." He stroked the back of her head.

* * *

-

* * *

"George, you need to stop obsessing over this! It's not healthy, mate!"

George whirled around after storming into his single, Fred following. "Obsessing? How am I…okay so maybe I am obsessing over her, but I can't help it. That was supposed to be me holding her."

"George, she's just a girl!"

"Just a girl? Fred, she's not 'just a girl.' She's amazing, sweet, pretty, smart, brave, so much fun to talk to, and she loves playing jokes on people. And bloody Harry jumps before I do! When did our personalities switch? I'm a fool. I know…I know I should be more worried about her well-being, with her brother probably furious and all, but…I just can't stop thinking about this."

"Wow…you're falling hard, mate."

"What? No I'm not."

"George, you may not be in love with her but you're falling. Look at yourself. Feeling sorry for yourself for not getting the girl before Harry. He's one of your best mates, bro. You can't hate Harry over something silly like this. You can find another girl just as easily."

"I don't hate him, Fred, and I'm not in love with her. I can't help my feelings, either. She's really beautiful and really fun, but I'm not in love. It takes much longer than the time we've known her to fall in love. Also, don't tell people that if they can't get the person they like, they can just get another. Girls aren't toys, Fred. You may be afraid of settling down and being with one person for a long time, but I'm not."

"George, come on. You know I appreciate women as much as any other guy." The twins smirked at each other. "But you _will_ find another. She's just the one for Harry, not for you."

"Yeah I know. Help me with potions?"

* * *

-

* * *

Hermione and Ginny were hanging out in the Hermione's room, trying to avoid Hurricane Lavender, when an owl started pecking on Hermione's window. She opened it and took the note tied to the owl's leg but it didn't wait for her to respond.

"Hey, Ginny? I have to go, I'm sorry. Dumbledore asked me to go see him about something mild, concerning a few second years that got into a fight. Is that okay? You're welcome to stay here and read or take a shower or something. No one can get in but me and Draco."

"Okay, thanks. I'll see you later."

"Bye."

Ginny got out of the shower about twenty minutes later and wrapped her body in a short towel that only just covered her backside. She was dripping wet and dried herself off as well as she could, but realized that she left her clothes in Hermione's room. She walked out of the large bathroom and was almost to the bed where her clothes were folded, but just then, the door opened and in stepped Draco.

"Oi, Grang…" he began, but stopped short when he saw the youngest Weasley standing there with her towel barely covering her and clinging to her wet body. _'Whoa…' _Her deep red hair framed her beautiful face and was dripping water down her skin. It took all of his self control to not walk up to her, throw her on the bed, and have his way with her.

"Um…"

"Is Granger here?"

"No…"

"When will she be back?"

"I'm not sure, she left about twenty or thirty minutes ago."

"Hm."

Ginny's eyes traveled down his body and her lips turned into a smirk when her eyes came to rest on his hips. Despite what he constantly told her, she really _did_ make him hot. "So I thought you said I didn't have an effect on you. What do you have to say for yourself now?"

Draco gritted his teeth, but she didn't see this. He didn't realize yet that she noticed how excited he was, even though he felt his cheeks flush. "I said that and I meant it. What do you want from me? Am I so irresistible that you have to constantly try to goad me into making out with you?"

She narrowed her eyes but kept her smirk. "No, Malfoy. I can _see_ that I affect you."

He narrowed his eyes, and knew he couldn't keep trying to hide it. "The sight before me would affect any man in his right mind. You're standing there in a towel that only just covers you, water dripping down your skin."

"So you admit it?"

"What are you playing at, Red?"

"What have I said about calling me Red?"

"Nothing _I_ heard."

"You're a right jerk."

"You're a right wench."

"So why don't you act on that accusation?"

"My, my, Weasley. I didn't think you were capable of having those kinds of thoughts." She started walking towards him with an expression that was between mischief and innocence, swaying her slim but curvy hips. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"Why not? I thought I didn't have an effect on you." She kept walking.

"There will be consequences."

"Well I can think of two reasons why you don't want me near you. One, you hate me and my family. Two, you wouldn't be able to resist me." She said this with a wicked smile.

"You're pushing it, Red." She was now only three feet away from him, and took one more step. He took her shoulders, swirled her around, and pinned her against the wall, just like on the train. That same feeling came back to her, except it was much more intense this time. She suppressed a soft moan, causing her to let out an odd but seductive noise. This, if possible, made him even harder, but he kept his cool and raised his eyebrows.

"Like that, do you?"

"No, of course not," she lied.

He looked at her for a moment, trying to figure her out. "Why are you not afraid of me? I'm holding you against a wall and all you have on is a towel. I could do so many things to you and you wouldn't be able to stop me." His words only made it more unbearable for her to be near him without doing anything with him.

"I'm just not afraid of you, Malfoy, and I never have been."

He pressed himself against her, and this time she did moan, making him smirk. "Looks like I'm not the only one who's affected."

"Oh shut up."

He leaned his head towards her and whispered in her ear, sending shivers down her body. "You have no idea of what I could do to you. If you want to be careful, I suggest you stop your little antics. Remember; I'm a very picky guy when it comes to relationships. The most you'll probably ever get from me is the best night of your life."

He pulled away from the wall and smirked again, then walked out the door. Ginny just stood there. Her breathing, as on the train and their previous encounter in the hall down by the dungeons, was erratic, and she seemed unable to catch her breath. She finally walked over to the bed, got dressed, and left, leaving Hermione a little note on her door explaining that she had to go.

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**Thank you for reviewing! **


	7. The End of the Sexual Tension

Chapter 7

DISCLAIMER: Same old stuff. I only own things that are mine.

A/N: So I have decided the pairings! You will see, though it will become quite clear in a bit.

Also, It has been brought to my attention that I have been saying Hermione and Draco are the head girl and boy, but head girl and boy are supposed to be seventh years…well since this is an AU, in my story, the head boy and girl are students in their sixth year because seventh years have to deal with NEWTS and it would be really difficult to do both that and deal with head duties. Sorry if that's a little bit mary-sue-ish…because I'm modifying it…but it IS my story and I'm not going to change that because I like it, and it fits. Sorry if that annoys anyone.

And remember, suggestions are always welcome!

* * *

When we live such fragile lives

It's the best way we survive

I'll go around a time or two

Just to waste my time with you

* * *

Trinity was walking down the hallway on the third floor to get to the stairs so she could have lunch. She was humming a tune to a muggle song when she heard voices around the corner. Being the curious person she was, she stopped to listen in on their conversation.

"I can't believe that she's done this…" came a slightly deep male voice. An even deeper one that she recognized as Blaise Zabini's voice spoke next.

"I can't believe that she chose him either but Zack, it's her choice. Draco knows that, too."

"I don't think he'll be saying that when he hears about his little sister dating saint Potter."

"Well I disagree with that mind set. She is her own person, and she deserves to be able to choose who she wants to go out with. Besides, no one can choose not to like someone. It comes up on its own."

"Maybe so, but she certainly can choose to bottle it up and not act on it."

"I think you're being irrational."

"I think she's in a lot of trouble once Draco finds out."

"I think it's her decision, not his," came a voice that wasn't present at first. It was a light, slightly sad feminine voice.

"Pansy…"

"Let it be, Zack. It's out of our hands. Let her deal with it on her own. As for me, I agree with Blaise. I'm going to head off to lunch. I'll see you two later."

Trinity heard footsteps behind her as Pansy's faded away, and felt a hand come to rest on her shoulder. She turned her head and saw Fred standing there with a curious expression on his face. She put her finger up to her mouth as to shush him, and went back to listening, but there was no use; the group had broken up and went their separate ways.

"What was that all about?" he asked. She looked up at him. She was tall, but he was taller by about almost a head.

"Zabini, Langley, and Parkinson. They were talking about Rora and Harry being together, and what will happen with Malfoy finds out."

"Oh." He stiffened slightly in response to this, being the protective brother he was, and remembered how sad George was the other day, even if he was almost completely over Aurora already. But his curiosity won over all, as usual, and he couldn't help but find out what was going on. "What did they say?"

And Trinity, being the lover of gossip (as long as it doesn't hurt anyone she loves), answered him. "Zabini and Parkinson are for Rora's decision, but Langley is not. Those two think that she is her own person, and that she should be able to make her own decisions without having to deal with the shit her brother might give her. Langley just thinks she shouldn't have gotten herself into this at all, that she should have bottled up her feelings and not acted on them."

"Ohh, nicely done. Not many people can recite information back to others as good as that."

She smirked. "Why thank you. I happen to pride myself on that."

And for some reason, he had the extreme urge to kiss her, and she allowed it. They broke apart after a little while. "I don't like relationships."

"That's fine with me."

Both of them grinned.

* * *

Trinity plopped down next to Aurora, Ginny, and Amanda on the carpeted floor of their room.

"Well, you look thoroughly kissed," Ginny stated bluntly.

Trinity looked at her funny, and shrugged. "I dunno how you always know things," she answered.

"It's quite obvious, Trin," Amanda said.

"So who is the lucky guy?" Aurora asked.

"Now why should I reveal my dirty secrets to you?"

"Because I'm your best friend and I say so," said the blonde.

"I don't think so," Ginny said. "I'm her best friend." They got into a playful glaring contest and wound up laughing and rolling over on their backs, making Trinity and Amanda roll their eyes.

"You're all my best friends, you morons."

"So who is he?" Amanda asked.

"I'm not telling. My secrets are mine to keep and not to tell."

"But you're supposed to tell your best friends everything!" Aurora whined.

"Perhaps you'll find out later."

"Is he cute?"

"Of course he is, Manda! If he caught Trin's attention, he MUST be gorgeous," Aurora said, swooning.

"Hey! You have Harry!" Amanda said, a little too defensively because of how George has been taking their relationship – of course, Aurora still didn't know George had been smitten with her.

"Yeah I know. It's not like I'm looking to date other guys, Amanda. I'm allowed to notice that other guys are cute but it doesn't mean I'm attracted to them."

"Is he someone we know?" Ginny asked Trinity, half to break the tension and half to find out who this mystery man was.

"Yeah." She started to twirl the deep purple strand in her hair while she did her potions homework.

"Ohhhh, really?" Aurora started to think really hard. "Yeah, no. I can't guess. We just know too many guys."

"Oh well. No skin off my back." Trinity finished her paragraph and started on the next one, checking her textbook for a piece of information. Ginny, Aurora, and Amanda all glanced at each other and smirked. They would find out who this guy was if it was the last thing they ever did. Trinity looked up to see their faces, and unease appeared on her face.

* * *

"Jellylegs," Ginny said as the painting of the four founders of Hogwarts swung open and she entered the common room of the head students' dorms. She went through the left door which went up to Hermione's room, but she saw a note on the door.

'_Hey Ginny, I'm up in Malfoy's room working on something important for what we're going to do for Halloween. Go up there to see me. The password is Serpent's Lair. Of course…that's Malfoy for you. Anyway, see you there. – Hermione'_

Ginny then went back down the stairs and up the ones leading to Malfoy's room. She knocked on the door and waited. It opened, revealing Malfoy dressed only in baggy jeans with no shirt on and slightly damp, attractively messy hair.

"Coming up to my room now, are you? I thought I warned you away."

He grinned, but she ignored him. "Is Hermione here?"

"No. Granger left a while ago."

"Oh…" He noticed her staring at his upper body, which was very well defined and muscled due to quidditch. He smirked, as he usually does, and she averted her eyes, but not before noticing a long jagged scar on his right side.

"What's the matter, Red? Like what you see?" he said, repeating Ginny's words from the train a month and a half ago.

"Well, from your pants up, yes. But from your neck up, I'd say not so much." He narrowed his eyes. "What's wrong, Malfoy? Were you expecting me to have a different reaction? I know most girls can't resist you, but I'm not most girls." She grinned at his reaction and shifted her hips. The movement opened her light sweatshirt a little more to reveal the tops of her breasts.

"No, you definitely aren't." She wasn't prepared for what he did next. He pulled her into his room and shut his door, then promptly pinned her against his wall – his favorite thing to do, apparently. "I warned you, before. I told you that you should stop your antics. But you didn't listen, and well, that's not my fault."

He leaned forward and captured her lips with a searing kiss while his hands roamed the sides of her body, causing her to moan, and when he pressed his body against hers, she moaned even louder. She could now feel how much she affected him against her thigh, and this made her mind go hazy. She had never felt as much lust as she did then.

She sighed as he started nibbling and biting her neck, and to his surprise, she squirmed when his mouth started to work on a little spot behind her ear. "Like that, do you?"

She didn't say anything; she just turned her head to expose more of that particular area. He brushed her hair away and continued. Eventually, the two made their way to his bed, where he lifted her up in his arms and placed her on her back while making sure she didn't see his; he knew she saw the scar.

He then slowly got on top of her and let his hands roam over her breasts, then her stomach, and then her thighs, making her groan again. Gods, he loved how she made those little enticing sounds. He lightly brushed his hand over her jeans between her legs and smirked at the reaction he got out of her.

* * *

"Hi."

"Hey."

"Well that wasn't very enthusiastic."

"Hm."

"Yeah, I hear ya. I wouldn't be too enthusiastic myself. How are you taking it? Feel any better?"

"Yeah, lots. I'm over it, Amanda. Though how you knew is beyond me."

Amanda frowned. "I'm sorry…I just wanted to make you smile."

George looked at her curiously. "Why? You know me, but not like you know Ginny or the others."

"Because I hate seeing people frown. I always felt like I could talk to you and not worry about what I said. Besides, I think we're pretty close. Don't you?"

"Yeah but not like you and your roommates."

"So we can be."

"You think so?"

"Sure, why not? You need someone to talk to besides your twin, and I need a good, close guy friend. I've got more than enough girlfriends at the moment," she said with a smile.

"But we're already close," he said with a smirk, re-using her words.

She chuckled. "You know what I mean."

"So what have you been up to? Besides stalking me."

She narrowed her eyes playfully at him. "Trying to not hear about the new 'greatest couple.' What about you?"

"About the same. Also trying to get my stupid work done. That's really hard, though, because Fred and I have discovered a new tunnel." His eyes lit up mischievously.

"Really? I thought you two knew the entire castle, especially with that map you gave Harry."

"Yeah, so did we, but it seems like we overlooked one. We don't know where it leads, but we'll find out soon. Maybe once Christmas break comes along because of all the work we have."

"That's really cool. Can I help?"

"Sure! We always like extra hands and minds, especially a Ravenclaw stuck inside a Gryffindor."

She chuckled and shoved him. "Oh stop it. I'm not stuck up like them."

"Well…"

"George!"

He laughed, making her smile.

* * *

-

* * *

A few days later, after a particularly difficult exam, Ginny felt the need to relieve some of the tension and stress, and made her way to the Head students' dorm. She looked in the common room and when she didn't see Hermione there, she tiptoed over to the picture of a serpent and Salazar Slytherin and whispered, "Serpent's Lair." The painting opened and she walked up the stairs to Draco's room, making sure the painting closed behind her. She knocked on the door and when he opened it, she was pulled into a searing kiss.

"Hello, Red." She smiled against his mouth and pushed him into the room. He closed the door behind them. He snaked his right hand under her shirt and caressed her right breast over her bra, making her moan. He then reached behind her and undid her bra, after which she helped him pull her shirt off when she felt him tugging at it.

"So what happened to this being a 'one time thing'?" she asked coyly.

"I haven't had you, yet." Once both her shirt and bra were off, he bent down and captured one of her breasts with his mouth. She gasped and moaned when he started playing with it with his tongue.

"Malfoy…" she breathed. He smiled and felt her trying to pull his shirt off. He helped her and discarded it on the floor. She was too in the moment to notice that his scar was no longer there. He then began to undo her belt, and the button and zipper on her pants. She hesitated slightly, but then pushed them down and started on his jeans. As she was working on the zipper, she felt his hard erection. She took her time in unzipping, teasing him and making him growl deeply – a sound she absolutely loved.

Once she had his pants off, she led him to the bed, still kissing him. They both sat down on it and leaned back, him halfway on top of her. She pushed him over on his back, then climbed on top of him and while nipping at his neck, she reached down, tugged his boxers off, and grasped him in her right hand. He sucked in a breath when she started moving her hand up and down. She hadn't realized how big he was before this. He was much bigger and more experienced than…well, she didn't want to think about_ him_.

"Oh…Ginny…" She was surprised when he moaned her name instead of Red, but he pulled her face back down to his and kissed her deeply. She figured that he was too much in the moment that he didn't realize he said her name, and she pushed it to the back of her mind. He suddenly turned her over and straddled her, hands on her chest, and leaned down to graze her neck with his canine. He proceeded to reach down and rub his fingers in lazy circles over her underwear. Electric shocks shot through her, and she made a sound he never heard before.

"Do that again…that sound." He pressed his fingers on her harder, causing her to emit that sound again. "That one." He moved his hand to her hip and pulled gently on her underwear. She realized what he was asking, so she tried to wriggle out of them, making him gasp loudly and grasp her shoulder; part of her body she wriggled was what he was currently straddling.

"Oh god, Red…do that, and I won't be able to hold back." She chuckled and did it again, making him growl and pull her underwear the rest of the way off. He pushed two fingers into her and grinned when she made that sound he loved, but louder than before, and he began to pump his fingers in and out of her, pushing up on the in strokes. He started going faster and faster, and then used his thumb to make sure she orgasmed. The thrill of being with Draco Malfoy in that way only added to the intensity.

He heard her whisper something as she dug her nails into his shoulders, and it struck a chord in him. It made him feel special. "Say my name again. Draco, not Malfoy." He went faster and harder, and when she came, she nearly screamed his name. He pulled his fingers out of her and went to do the same thing with his tongue, and not a minute later, she gripped the sheets as she came again, this time fully shouting it. He pulled himself up and lay down on top of her, but supported most of his weight with his arms so he wouldn't crush her.

"I want you…" He left the statement open for her answer. Ginny's heart nearly skipped a beat, knowing exactly what he wanted, but she wasn't sure if she was ready for it yet. He must have seen the uncertainty in her eyes, she thought, because of his next question. "Are you a virgin?" He saw her eyes darken, and a slight but noticeable frown appeared on her face.

"No." Her voice was a little hard, and he decided that he wouldn't push anything. Besides, she was fun and for some reason, he wanted to keep seeing her like this. He lifted himself off her and began to lazily caress her breasts. She turned her head to look at him with questioning eyes.

"Why didn't you push?"

"Because you've obviously had a bad experience, and I'm not about to cause another one for you. You're clearly not ready to do that again." She smiled.

"Thank you, Malfoy."

"Draco."

"Huh?"

"It's Draco."

She smiled again. Gods how her smile affected him. "Alright…thank you, Draco."

* * *

-

* * *

**Sorry about the long wait! I had finals and I had to finish them. But I'm all done now:D I know this chapter wasn't very good…some of it was half-assed because I just couldn't write any more but I wanted to give you all a longer chapter than this would have been. Although, I am actually glad that I forced this out of me because I needed conversation between Amanda and George. Hope you liked that Ginny and Draco are FINALLY together!**

Top of Form


	8. My Dirty Little Secret

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Just my story and my characters.

Chapter 8 – My Dirty Little Secret

**SO MUCH THANKS to my friend, Ami! Thank you so much. Without you, I wouldn't have been able to get out of my rut. I was pretty stuck until I met you, and thank goodness I did! Thank you so much for your ideas, no matter how little they seem to be because even the smallest, shortest write-up I do of one of your ideas can make that part of the chapter SO much better. Like spices, you know?**

**:D

* * *

-

* * *

**

I'll go around a time or two

Just to waste my time with you

Tell me all that you've thrown away

Find out games you don't wanna play

* * *

-

* * *

_Flashback_

_Draco was pacing in his room, his hands clasped behind his back, when the door opened and Pansy, Blaise, Theo, and Zack walked in._

_"Hey, Drake," Pansy said, plopping down on his bed. The rest picked chairs or the couch around the room._

_"What's wrong, mate?" Blaise asked, glancing worriedly at Pansy._

_"Did you know?"_

_"Did we know what?" Theodore Nott asked. He hung out with them a lot, and, like the rest of them, found out about Aurora and Harry before Draco did._

_"Who Aurora is dating?"_

_When all of them winced and glanced at each other, Draco growled frustratedly. "Why didn't any of you tell me?"_

_"Because she wanted to do it herself," Pansy said quietly._

_"Well she did a great job of it! It's been two fucking weeks!"_

_"She's scared, Drake," Pansy said gently. "She's scared of your temper and how you'll react. The last thing she wants is to have a fight with you, for you to be angry with her."_

_"She's scared of me?"_

_"Well, yes! Look at how you're reacting now!" she said._

_"This isn't because of who she's dating! It's more because it's been TWO WEEKS since they started dating! She should have told me either before or when it started! But instead, she's too scared of her own brother to tell him." He ran a hand through his hair and crossed the room to lean on the windowsill._

_"Whoa, wait…you're not mad that she's dating Potter?" Zack asked incredulously._

_"I'm a little annoyed…but it's not right to tell her who she can and cannot date. Unless it's life threatening."_

_"It IS, Draco!" Pansy said suddenly, very loudly. He looked at her, slightly confused. "In case you haven't forgotten, you have Lucius Malfoy as a father! And she is his daughter!"_

_"Don't tell me things I already know," he said dangerously, so that she backed down. "And he is NOT our father. He never was. He left our mother to deal with her, and he wanted nothing to do with her. While she is here in school under my, Snape's, and Dumbledore's protection, nothing can harm her. And this will not get to Lucius. Especially if and when he escapes from Azkaban. I will make sure of that. As for Aurora, I will wait until she says something to me. I won't seek her out. I want her to come to me."_

_End Flashback_

Pansy was walking down the hallway in the dungeons to the Slytherin dorms when she remembered this. It happened three days ago and it had not stopped plaguing her mind since. She was very worried for Aurora, but not because of Draco. She knew the siblings could overcome that. She was worried about what Lucius and Voldemort would do when they found out about her relationship.

She sighed as she reached the portrait hole. She said the password, walked in and to her room, and fell asleep on her bed, not feeling like doing any homework that night. She could get it done in the morning before her classes – she didn't have that much, anyway.

* * *

-

* * *

"So what's this Halloween party gonna be like?"

"Ginny! That's the fiftieth time you've asked me! I'm not allowed to tell you, you know that!"

"Hermioneeeeeee! You're one of my best friends! Come on! We're gonna find out eventually, and it's already October first."

"Come on, Mione," Aurora said, giving her best pout. Trinity looked up from her charms homework and gave her best pout as well, and Amanda was pleading along with Ginny.

"Oh fine! Geez. I don't know what to do with you girls…always ganging up on me…It's going to be a masquerade." The girls 'ooohed' and leaned in to hear more, and Hermione rolled her eyes. "Draco and I decided – "

"Draco?" Ginny asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, we do have to get along and that _is _his name. We decided that it should be in full costume, and no matter what costumes people wear, they must wear a mask, preferably one that makes it hard to see who they are. You can even change your hair color if you like. It doesn't have to be costumes like vampires and characters from movies and things like that; it could be Victorian clothing or gowns that match with the masks. There's a wonderful shop in Hogsmeade that just opened from the branch that's in Diagon Alley that sells things like that."

"Oh it sounds so wonderful," Amanda breathed.

"I already know what I'm going as," Trinity said.

"What?" they asked.

She smirked. "Not telling."

"It was stupid to ask," Ginny said, laughing and rolling on her back on her bed to look at her friends upside down.

"What are you going to go as, Hermione?" Aurora asked.

Hermione shrugged. "I can't choose between a noble scholar and a medieval princess."

"Oh Hermione, you're such a bookworm but you're such a girl, too." Trinity laughed and Hermione threw a rolled up piece of parchment at her.

"What about you, Gin?" Amanda asked.

"Oh, that's a secret." She grinned.

Trinity stuck her tongue out at Ginny. "Copycat."

"Aww come on, tell us. Please?" Aurora whined.

"No!" Ginny laughed.

"It's a month away. I'll get it out of you by then," said Aurora, smirking.

Ginny shrugged and smiled sweetly. "You can try."

* * *

-

* * *

"You will all be paired up for the big project this year," Professor Sprout began when her fifth year class filed into the greenhouse. The students glanced at each other curiously. "I have not mentioned it until now because I wanted you all to become acquainted with the OWL syllabus. Your project is the physical part of your OWL. It will be to take care of a _crocus carnivora_ from a youngling to young adulthood. It is a carnivorous type of the crocus plant, hence the name, but they are very dangerous if not handled properly. They grow quite quickly, and are not easy to handle, so you must follow instructions.

I cannot stress it enough that you MUST MUST MUST work your hardest in your fifth year! I know you have all heard this many times from all of your professors, multiple times, but your OWLs will be the first major exams in your life that will determine your futures! Now pair up. I don't believe in forcing people together, so choose WISELY who you will be paired with for the rest of the year. Here are the instructions," she said, passing out sheets of paper to the Ravenclaws and the Gryffindors. "When you find your partners, start going over the sheets I gave you. Go."

Aurora and Ginny paired up, and Amanda and Trinity made the other pair of the roommates. They would all work together on this, though, they knew without having to ask each other. They all lived in the same room, anyway.

"So how are we going to do this?" Aurora asked.

"We can't let Sprout know we're going to help each other with this," Trinity whispered. They nodded and sat down at the end of the long table, whispering and going over their sheets as Professor Sprout handed out the baby _crocus carnivora_ plants to each pair.

* * *

-

* * *

Aurora whispered the password to the Slytherin dorms and slipped inside, the portrait closing after her. She hurried over to where Pansy's room was, waving to the few students she was friendly with in the common room. Salazaar Slytherin did not think that it was important to keep boys and girls apart from each other. He thought that they should focus on much more important things like their studies and conversing with each other – so he did not enforce the rule that girls should be separated from the boys. Pansy's room was placed in the sixth year students' corridor between Theodore Nott's triple and Millicent Bullstrode's triple.

She knocked on the door and walked in when Pansy opened it, to find Blaise, Zack, Theo, and Draco lounging around inside of it.

"Yo," Blaise said. "What's up?"

"Not much. How are you?" She closed the door and sat next to him on the floor. Pansy was on her bed with Draco lying next to her.

"Pretty good, pretty good."

"How are you, Draco?"

Blaise shared an uneasy look with the others in the room while Draco took his time looking up from the book he was reading. "Alright. Could be worse, could be better." He turned the page.

"Um, guys? Can I talk to Draco alone for a few minutes?" she asked. They all shared another look, but agreed and got up and left the room, Aurora apologizing to Pansy for using her room but the older girl just smiled and left.

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" he asked, not looking up from his page.

"Well, I wanted to tell you something before it got out and you heard it from someone else…I'm, ah, dating someone."

"Oh, really? And why would I care?"

"Because you're my older brother and you always have, before."

"And you always yelled at me for butting in to your business."

"Draco, you're supposed to. It always made me feel really special when you did, no matter how angry I was with you."

"Hm."

"Hm? That's it? Not 'who is it'? Or 'let me meet him, I'll show him my wand'?"

"I'm not your keeper, Aurora."

"It's Harry."

Still, Draco did not look up. "Uh-huh."

She widened her eyes a little. "What?"

"I didn't say anything. Just uh-huh."

"You don't care that I'm dating your worst enemy?" she asked incredulously.

"Potter is hardly my worst enemy. Lucius and Voldemort are my worst enemies. Potter is barely a fly compared to them. Besides, did you really think that this is the first time I've heard who you were dating?" She looked down at the floor, and finally he sat up and looked at her. "How do you think I felt when I heard from a passing second year that the Gryffindor sister of the evil Slytherin git Draco Malfoy was dating Saint Potter? From a little _second_ year, Aurora."

"I…didn't think it would have gotten around that fast…"

"Oh please. Cut the crap. You started dating him two weeks ago. You could have told me then and I would have been annoyed and uncomfortable but other than that, I wouldn't have given a rat's ass. Now, I don't know what to think. You're supposed to be my little sister and one of my closest friends. How can I continue to trust you if you can't even trust me enough to tell me who you're dating?"

She continued to look down at the floor, and he saw a crystalline tear fall from her right eye. He sighed, walked over to her, and gently placed his arms around her. "I know those words were harsh, but do you have any idea how I felt when I heard my baby sister was dating Potter from someone who doesn't mean anything to me? A simple little kid who doesn't even know who you two are."

"I'm sorry…I didn't think it would have gotten to you yet…I've been putting it off, and I felt so guilty, so I came to tell you…I thought you'd be so angry with me, that you'd hate me for it."

He hugged her closer. The rumbling in his chest when he spoke was comforting, as it always had been when he held her after particularly nasty rows with their 'father.' "I could never hate you. You should know that. Who you date is not for me to decide. I may not like it, but I won't stop you unless I feel it's really dangerous. I don't want you to be tip-toeing around me, Aurora. I want you to tell me things like you used to. Please don't shy away from me. You're the most important person in the world to me next to our mother."

"I won't, Draco. I promise."

Pansy, Blaise, Theo, and Zack had been eavesdropping, but did not want to butt in anymore, so they went their separate ways, making plans to meet up later for dinner and to inform Draco and Aurora about it when they emerged from Pansy's room.

* * *

-

* * *

"George!" "Fred!"

The twins turned to see Amanda and Trinity running towards them, grinning madly.

"What's up, girls?" Fred asked.

"Ginny somehow got the Marauders' Map from Harry for you so you can mark the tunnel," Amanda said, handing it over.

"Well, she _did_ learn from the best," said George, smirking and shaking his head. "What have we done to our baby sister, Fred?"

"Why, make her just like us, George!" The twins laughed.

"So?" Trinity said, waiting for an answer from them.

"So what?" Fred asked.

"Can we accompany you on this journey to and through this supposed new tunnel you two found?"

"Why of course, ladies," Fred said.

"We would be honored. But first, we should get the little fox that stole this so successfully," George said, pointing to the map. He took out his wand, looked both ways to see if anyone was coming, then said the words, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good. Ah! There she is. Third floor…" George's brows furrowed when he saw who she was with, and tried to come up with an excuse as to why she was with him, but the person walked away from her and she walked the other way down the hall. "She's alone. Perfect! Let's go."

_Ten minutes earlier…_

"Whoa, that was really close."

"It was."

"Draco, we can't do this in empty classrooms anymore. It's too risky."

He looked at her with a lustful gleam in his eyes that made her legs unsteady. "That's what makes this so much fun." He backed her against the wall of the closet they hid in when a person had come in looking for something – the reason they had to hurry into the closet. He began to caress the sides of her breasts, making her sigh. She then reached down to cup him gently, causing him to moan.

"What is this, then?"

"What?"

She gained a playful look in her eyes. "Us." She tightened her grip on him.

"Mmmm. My dirty little secret."

She grinned and kissed him soundly. "I guess I can deal with that."

* * *

-

* * *

"Gin!"

Ginny turned around and spotted Fred, George, Amanda, and Trinity, who had found Aurora on the way.

"Hey guys, what's up?" she asked. George held up the map and Ginny grinned.

"Alright I'll go with you but can you wait until tomorrow after the game? I have to head to practice now – Harry's called a last minute one. Trin, Rora, you need to be there, too."

"I didn't even get a memo," Aurora said.

"Yeah, neither did I. But okay, let's go. I'll see you later, guys." They all waved goodbye and went their separate ways.

* * *

-

* * *

_The next day…_

"AND THEY'RE OFF! Speeding towards their positions like bullets!"

"This isn't a race, Jordan!"

* * *

Let me know that I've done wrong

When I've known this all along

I'll go around a time or two

Just to waste my time with you

* * *

"Yes, right, sorry, Professor. There goes the snitch, racing off to wherever it goes…I never had a clue as to how it works…there go the bludgers, and finally the quaffle! Look at them go!"

"Jordan! We all know how quidditch is played!"

"Yes, sorry, Professor. In this game we have FOUR Weasleys, boys and girls! Four! That's mighty lucky for Gryffindor! Fred, George, Ron, and our newest star, Ginny! Trinity Hawethorne catches the quaffle first! She goes speeding towards the Slytherin goals, weaving in and out of the other players – she's new, beautiful, and single, boys! And I've heard girls for those of you who are interested…"

"JORDAN!"

"Sorry! WOW! That should have been a foul! Zabini rammed into Hawethorne, causing her to drop the quaffle in surprise and, I'm sure, pain. Now it's Zabini – who passes to Parkinson – who passes back to Zabini…this is like a pinball machine to those of you who know what that is…muggle contraptions…ZABINI SCORES! Ten points for Slytherin!"

The crowd jeered, hooted, and cheered, depending on who was on which team's side, and Slytherin started singing "Weasley is our King."

* * *

Tell me all that you've thrown away

Find out games you don't wanna play

You are

The only one that needs to know

* * *

"Ten points for Gryffindor! Nice work, girls! Ginny Weasley and Aurora Malfoy, everybody. The other two chasers for this game. It must be tough for Aurora and her brother to be playing against each other, especially since they're so close! What tension there must be!"

Suddenly, The Gryffindor seeker for this particular game shot towards the right side of the ring.

"Olivia Whittaker, new Gryffindor seeker and chaser. What a dive. Oh! She sees the snitch! She sees the snitch! And so early in the game, too! What talent! Malfoy chases her for a chance to steal the snitch from her but…ohh she lost the snitch, but so did Malfoy, so no loss on our part. Sorry, Olivia."

* * *

I'll keep you my dirty little secret (dirty little secret)

Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret (just another regret)

Hope that you can keep it

My dirty little secret

Who has to know?

* * *

"Damnit, Whittaker! How'd you lose it?"

"Oh shut up, Malfoy. You lost it, too!" the raven haired fourth year said.

"Hmph."

"GINNY STEALS THE QUAFFLE FROM PARKINSON!" Both Draco and Olivia jumped and looked down at the game, Olivia taking this time to fly away from the disgusting Malfoy. He was gorgeous, perfection – but it was drilled into her to stay away from him.

Draco took this chance to glance down at Ginny, who was weaving in and out of his team players, passing the red ball back and forth from Aurora and Trinity, he thought her name was. He smiled at his sister's skills. He taught her well, but a lot of it was her own ability. He glanced back at Ginny after checking where Whittaker was and whether she had seen the snitch or not. She was a bright red streak zooming towards the goals. He found her athleticism arousing so he looked away, deciding to concentrate on the game.

"NOTT! KEEP YOUR ATTENTION ON THE CHASERS!" he yelled. Theo gave him a sour look, but then a thumbs up. He had been looking at Fred…or was it George…who hit a bludger at Pansy. Blaise had grabbed her broom and pulled her back, though, so that it didn't touch her.

* * *

When we live such fragile lives

It's the best way we survive

I'll go around a time or two

Just to waste my time with you

* * *

"Ginny passes to Aurora, who passes to Trinity, then back to Aurora…WHOA! Zabini almost knocked Ginny off her broom but she receives the quaffle from Aurora, and…GINNY WEASLEY SCORES! TEN POINTS FOR GRYFFINDOR!"

Draco sighed and shook his head. He then saw a glimmer of gold, and shot off after it, Olivia not far behind him.

"MALFOY SEES THE SNITCH! He's getting really close, Olivia! Hurry!"

"Jordan, she's going as fast as she can!"

"Right, I'm just cheering her on, Professor. OH! A bludger hits Malfoy!"

Ginny whipped her head around to find where Draco was, and saw that he was rubbing his left arm, but he seemed to not be hurt that much. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"Malfoy's okay! But both he and Olivia lost the snitch again…AURORA SCORES! Another ten points for Gryffindor!"

She and Ginny high-fived each other, and sped off to the middle of the field.

Tell me all that you've thrown away

Find out games you don't wanna play

You are

The only one that needs to know

"Nott throws the quaffle to Zabini, and off he goes, passing to Parkinson, who passes back to Zabini, seeing that Marcus Flint is blocked by Trinity. She looks mighty good-looking with her hair blowing in the wind."

"JORDAN! Pay attention to the game instead of giving a commentary on the players' appearances!"

"Of course, Professor. Will do."

"OW! Rora!" Pansy cried out when Aurora rammed into her when Pansy went to steal the quaffle from Trinity.

"Sorry, Pans, but I'm on Gryffindor's side…I have to play against you like I would any other team." She looked at her friend guiltily, but Pansy smiled and shooed her away.

"Just don't hit so hard next time!"

"AURORA!" She whipped her blonde head around to look at Ginny, who had screamed her name. She was trying to get away from Flint and Zabini. Aurora and Trinity fled to her.

"Party in the middle of the field!" Lee Jordan yelled out, earning a glare from McGonagall. "Zabini, Parkinson, and Flint against Ginny, Aurora, and Trinity. Watch out for bludgers, you guys! OHH, too late…George…or Fred…I honestly can't tell you guys apart when you're far away from me! One of them hit a bludger towards Zabini but Goyle redirected it at Ginny, knocking her straight off her broom!"

Draco's heart sped up when he saw her falling, but he couldn't go after her. He was too far away for one, and he was Draco Malfoy, a Slytherin. He didn't know her well enough, anyway. But that didn't stop him from worrying. Then one of the twins shot down and caught her – though Draco didn't know which one – and his heart stopped pulsating.

"You okay, Gin?"

"Yeah, thanks, Fred. My thigh's killing me, but I'm fine."

"Good." He flew her up to her broom, which Trinity caught, and the game was back on in a minute. Aurora had scored in that time, and Gryffindor now had thirty points. Slytherin still had only ten.

* * *

I'll keep you my dirty little secret (dirty little secret)

Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret (just another regret)

Hope that you can keep it

My dirty little secret

Who has to know?

* * *

The game went on like this for another thirty minutes, and the score was left with Gryffindor holding fifty points and Slytherin holding one hundred when Harry called a time out. He flew up to the pitch and spoke to Ginny and Olivia, then flew back to the player's area. Ginny and Olivia then switched places – Ginny as seeker and Olivia as chaser, which she switched to more than gladly to get away from Malfoy.

The game started again with a smirk from Ginny to Draco.

"Oh you're going down, Malfoy."

"What makes you think that, Red? I'm not only the best seeker on my team, but I'm also captain. And seeker is only your secondary position. Plus, you're just a Weasley."

"This may only be my secondary position, but I'm second best under Harry. And might I remind you that every Weasley besides Percy has been amazing in Quidditch." She smirked, and sped towards him. His eyes widened and he shot out of her way, thinking she was going to ram into him, but she sped past him.

'_Damnit! She's seen the snitch!'_ he thought. He turned around and sped after her.

"GINNY WEASLEY SEES THE SNITCH!" everyone heard Lee Jordan yell. "Though…I can't…hmm…maybe that's why I'm not a seeker…"

"Damnit, Red! Where is it?" Draco asked, frustrated. Then he heard her loud laughter that wasn't at all bell-like, but one that always made people smile.

"Wouldn't you like to know!"

It was then that he realized he was fooled. "Weasley! You're going to pay for this!" he growled. She turned abruptly to face him, and it took all of his strength to stop in time so he wouldn't crash into her.

"Oh really? And how would you like me to pay for it?" She had an innocent but mischievous and teasing smile on her face. Draco felt himself start to harden at her words and growled again, but this time, it was lustful instead of filled with annoyance.

"IT LOOKS LIKE GINNY WAS ONLY FOOLING MALFOY! Back to the game – FLINT SCORES! ONE HUNDRED AND TEN POINTS FOR SLYTHERIN!"

**"**Weasley is our King,  
Weasley is our King,  
He didn't let the Quaffle in,  
Weasley is our King.

Weasley can save anything,  
He never leaves a single ring,  
That's why Gryffindors all sing:  
Weasley is our King."

* * *

The way she feels inside

Those thoughts I can't deny

These sleeping dogs won't lie

And now I try to lie

It's eating me apart

Trace this life out

* * *

"TEN POINTS FOR GRYFFINDOR"

"TEN POINTS FOR SLYTHERIN!"

"ANOTHER TEN FOR GRYFFINDOR! This leaves the score at one hundred and twenty for Slytherin and seventy for Gryffindor! Slytherin may be ahead, but Gryffindor is holding its own! Come on, Ron! Don't let the Quaffle in! You're our King, remember! Come on, Ginny! Work your magic, girl!" McGonagall didn't even give Lee a look, for she was thinking along the same lines.

"Weasley cannot save a thing,  
He cannot block a single ring,  
That's why Slytherins all sing:  
Weasley is our King.

Weasley was born in a bin,  
He always lets the Quaffle in,  
Weasley will make sure we win,  
Weasley is our King.

Weasley is our King,  
Weasley is our King,  
He always lets the Quaffle in,  
Weasley is our King."

"Flint passes to Zabini…dodges Aurora…zips by Trinity and finally Olivia! Girls, beat him to the goal! OH ZABINI…NO! WEASLEY STOPS IT! NICE WORK, RON!"

Gryffindor cheered, and another outbreak of "Weasley is our King," Gryffindor style, was heard.

"WEASLEY IS OUR KING!  
WEASLEY IS OUR KING!  
HE DIDN'T LET THE QUAFFLE IN,  
WEASLEY IS OUR KING.

WEASLEY CAN SAVE ANYTHING!  
HE NEVER LEAVES A SINGLE RING,  
THAT'S WHY GRYFFINDORS ALL SING:  
WEASLEY IS OUR KING!"

"OHH! Trinity knocks the quaffle out of Zabini's hands at the last second! GINNY WEASLEY SEES THE SNITCH! But is it another trick for Malfoy?"

* * *

I'll keep you my dirty little secret

(Dirty little secret)

Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret

(Just another regret)

* * *

"This better not be another trick, Ginny!"

"What if it is, _Draco_?" she said, looking back at him and smirking.

She put on a burst of speed and left him in her dust, but he quickly recovered and was closing in on her fast. The truth was that she really did see the snitch (finally) and was pulling Draco off course while keeping an eye on the snitch which was off to her right. What she didn't know was that while Draco didn't see the snitch, he knew she was faking a dive, so he made sure to follow her every move. So, when she suddenly jerked to the right and flew over the Gryffindor stand, which was cheering loudly, he didn't lose her and was right on her tail.

She followed the snitch, catching up inch by inch, and figured out that Draco knew what she did, so she concentrated on not losing him but grabbing the snitch, which was now about five feet away from her. Draco was closing in on her, and everyone, especially Harry down at the bench next to Madam Hooch, was going insane.

The game was no longer about the other players. All eyes were on Ginny and Draco. Of course the teams had to keep playing, but they were not playing their best anymore, and kept sneaking glances at the two seekers. Lee Jordan could no longer see perfectly because they were flying so incredibly fast, so he kept silent and watched them on the edge of his seat along with everyone else.

The snitch suddenly dropped down very close to the grass below the players, Ginny and Draco in hot pursuit. Ginny reached out for it with her right arm and Draco with his left as the deafening roar of the wind in their ears drowned out the noise of the crowd. Draco was only a hair behind Ginny, and he suddenly lunged for it, both of them closing their hands around it at the same time. Draco's lunge caused them both to fall off their brooms to the ground a few inches below them, tumbling for a good few feet before they stopped because of how fast they were flying just seconds before.

* * *

I'll keep you my dirty little secret

(Dirty little secret)

Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret

(Just another regret, hope that you can keep it)

My dirty little secret

Dirty little secret

Dirty little secret!

Who has to know?

Who has to know?

* * *

When they finally stopped, they were in a heap – Draco halfway on top of Ginny, who was flat on her back on the grass, both still holding the snitch. No one could see who had it because, although both of them were exhausted and gasping for air, neither would let go of the snitch.

Draco's right leg was between Ginny's legs, and her left leg was between his. She smirked as her mind looked over this situation, and she lifted her leg to gently graze him.

"That's not fair, Ginny…"

"I won fair and square, Draco." She moved her thigh some more, but not too much so that the crowd could see what she was doing. "You should feel lucky...because of what will be my celebration later." Draco finally let go in a moment of weakness as Ginny raised her arm triumphantly and rolled off her, his hand falling to the dirt.

"GINNY CAUGHT THE SNITCH! GINNY WEASLEY CAUGHT THE SNITCH! GRYFFINDOR WINS!" Jordan screamed. The Slytherins and Ravenclaws booed – Gryffindor had to lose if Ravenclaw was to win against Slytherin later on in the season – and Huffelpuff and Gryffindor went wild with cheers. Draco stood and gave her a sneer for appearances – she knew – because her team was running – and flying – over to her to lift her up above their heads and carry her back to the locker room.

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**I hope you liked this chapter. It is much longer than the others, but I really didn't want to cut it in half or add more to it. I think it's fine the way it is, anyway, and it came out exactly how I wanted it. **** Please, guys, please review. It makes chapters come faster because of how happy and motivated them make me feel. Thanks for reading!**


	9. Almost Caught: Draco and Ginny at Last

Chapter 9

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter (unfortunately…or I'd be a billionaire)

THANKS AGAIN to Ami! Without you, I'd be so lost :D Go read her story 'I Am.' It's amazing.

This chapter won't be as long as the last one but I hope it'll be as good! For all you

Ginny/Draco fans out there, here's some more "action" for you. Grin.

* * *

-

* * *

Tell me all that you've thrown away

Find out games you don't wanna play

You are

The only one who needs to know

* * *

-

* * *

After the fantastic game, with random outbreaks of "Weasley is our King," the Gryffindors were holding a large house party in their common room with Fred, George, Harry, and Ginny taking turns on lookout with the Marauders' Map for professors, which had been returned to Harry's trunk by Ginny before the game.

Everyone was having a great time, especially with all of the butterbeer and firewhisky Fred, George, and Lee bought from different stores (so they wouldn't look suspicious buying so much together) in Hogsmeade. They, of course, cast disillusionment charms on themselves. They met up at the shrieking shack and hurried up to the Gryffindor Tower.

"Cheers to one of Gryffindor's finest wins in the history of Quidditch!" Fred said, messing up Ginny's hair. The girl gave an annoyed sound, and flattened her hair back into its place. Fred and George raised their glasses. "To Gin, Aurora, and Trinity! Three of the finest chasers in the history of Hogwarts Quidditch! And to Olivia and Ginny again, our seekers, and the rest of the team! And finally…to US!" Ginny punched Fred's shoulder, to which he laughed and moved away from her.

"Guys, we really are one of the best teams Gryffindor's ever seen," Harry said. "Nice work, everyone." He smiled broadly – it has been plastered on his face ever since the win and he couldn't seem to get it off. Everyone raised their glasses, and clinked them with the person next to them, and whoever else they could reach out to. Then they all took one giant gulp – the first, second, and third years from their glasses of butterbeer – and dispersed, talking and laughing amongst themselves. Amanda, Trinity, Fred, and George walked over by the window to get some fresh air and catch up on their plans for the new underground tunnel, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, as always, were together when Aurora came over to join them, and Ginny was all alone. Which was exactly what she had been waiting for.

She snuck upstairs, seeing from the corner of her eye that Aurora spotted her and was following. She quickly dashed into their room and threw on her invisibility cloak just as the blonde ran in, breathless.

"Ginny!" She groped around with her hands near Ginny's trunk, but to no avail. "Damnit, Gin! I know that you've been sneaking off! Do I mean anything to you? Aren't I your friend?" she asked, not even knowing Ginny was still in the room.

"My best friend," came the soft reply from the door. Aurora turned and looked at the doorway, not sure of what part of Ginny she was looking at.

"Then why do you go sneaking around? Why won't you tell us where you're going all the time?"

"I didn't plan on you taking notice."

"Who can't? I don't think the others suspect much, but I know you're gone at least three nights every week. If you're seeing someone, why can't you tell us? Or at least me?"

Ginny's heart clenched. "I just…can't. I'm sorry, Rora. Best friends tell each other everything, but people need to keep some secrets. This is something I can't tell you. At least not yet. I'm sorry." Aurora turned her back to the doorway, and heard steps walking towards her. Then she saw Ginny's arms wrap around her middle, realizing that the redhead had taken off the invisibility cloak she still hadn't given back to the unsuspecting Harry.

Aurora heard the shuffling of fabric after Ginny stepped away from her, and when she turned around, the door had closed, leaving her alone in the room. She sighed and changed for bed, closing the curtains around her.

* * *

-

* * *

"Okay so we meet here," Fred said while pointing his wand at a corner on the Marauder's Map on the dungeon floor. "This is where it starts, at the tapestry of Gideon the Brave. then it goes in…somewhere. We're not sure how far, but that's why we're doing this, after all." He grinned, and the girls nodded.

"Will do, Capitan," Trinity replied, saluting the twins but looking straight into her lover's eyes, with a mischievous glint promising an eventful night ahead of them. George and Amanda, not realizing their interaction, continued talking about the tunnel and where it might lead.

Across the room, Harry and Ron were conversing about Quidditch strategies until they were interrupted by Hermione. "I wonder when those two will get together." The guys looked at her. "What?"

"What? What I want to know is what you're talking about, cause you're making no sense," Ron said.

Hermione's eyebrow twitched, but she said nothing about his rudeness. "You don't see it?"

"See what?" Harry asked.

Hermione sighed in exasperation. "Amanda and George! Do I always have to spell everything out for you two?"

"Eh?" they asked, intelligently.

Hermione let her head drop to the table with a soft bang. "Of course. I should have known you dunderheads wouldn't have noticed them. Just look at them! They're falling for each other."

They turned their heads, then turned back to Hermione.

"I don't see anything," Harry said bluntly.

"What the bloody HELL are you blabbering on about?" Ron continued.

"Do you ALWAYS have to speak so rudely to me?"

"Wha…"

"LISTEN. Amanda likes George. George likes Amanda. Romantically."

"I think we got that much, Mione," Harry said gently, "but we can't see it like you do. I would never have noticed."

"Well, it's true, and it's there, and quite obvious," she said.

"How do you know?" Ron asked.

"They may not be able to see it, because they're the ones involved, but I can see the way they look at each other, and how they always make excuses to be around each other. Don't you realize that they weren't that close before you started dating Aurora?" she asked Harry.

"Yeah, actually, now that you mention it…"

"Here's the situation. He liked someone else, was falling hard for her, but then another guy – you – came along and swept her off her feet, taking her away from him."

Harry cringed. "Oh man…I didn't know…I feel horrible now."

"I'm sure he's over it. He didn't say anything to you, right?" Harry nodded. "That means you're too much of a friend for him to make a fuss about it. Anyway, then the comforting female friend comes along and slowly, not realizing it herself, makes him fall for her. She also falls for him, because they've become so close. Do you see it now?"

"Not quite like you do, but I think I understand."

"Yeah, what he said."

"What an intelligent answer, Ronald."

"Why thank you."

Hermione swatted his arm, making him laugh and jump away from her. She had a grin of her own on her face, as much as she didn't want to admit it.

* * *

-

* * *

"Hey," Draco said, opening his door and grinning at what Ginny was wearing. It wasn't much, just a pair of jeans with those chains he so loved and a shirt that hugged her and showed just the right amount of cleavage. It was how she looked in them that drove him mad.

"Hey." She grinned back at him, and not wanting to wait any longer, she began to take off his shirt. While she did this, she pushed him back into his wall instead of him pushing her. To say Draco was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement. "What happened to your scar?" she asked when she didn't see it.

"Oh, uh, I usually put a concealing charm on it for practice and games so no one bothers me about it."

She seemed to accept that and pushed her hips into his, eliciting a grunt from him. When they finally got rid of each other's clothes, they found themselves on his bed. She went down on him before he could do anything to her, surprising him yet again. She took him in her mouth and gently caressed him with her tongue, slowly putting on more pressure and moving faster. Just as he was about to come, she took all of him in her mouth while flicking the tip of her tongue on the head.

"Oh _gods_, Ginny." He couldn't believe it; she was actually making him writhe. No woman has ever made him do that before. His head was swimming, and he could barely make full sentences.

"Ginny, I'm…" He tried to tell her, but she continued. He gripped the sheets and came in her mouth after nearly shouting her name again. He didn't know how she would react to what he just did, but she didn't seem to care, for she slid up his body and showed no sign nor care for what happened.

He flipped her over on her back. "My turn."

She cried his name when he was done with her. He had made her writhe even more than he did. Gods how she loved the way he used his tongue. It was ecstasy for her.

"Draco," she began.

"Hm?"

"Do you know how to do the contraception spell?"

He looked into her eyes as his heart skipped. She wanted him…"Are you sure you're ready?"

"Yes." Her voice was soft and tender, but filled with want and lust, and her eyes were gentle but fiery at the same time.

He would be gentle at first, he told himself, but he would make sure she would be screaming his name multiple times in the end. He reached for his bag on the floor for his wand and touched the tip of it to her abdomen, above her womb. He muttered the spell and dropped the wand on the floor next to the bed. She wrapped her legs around him and lowered himself onto her, sliding in as close to the hilt as he could go. They both let out loud groans, and then he started to push in and out of her. She shivered and gasped as he teased her by going at a fast pace, then slowing to a sensual one.

"Draco please…"

"Please what?"

"You're teasing me. Go faster," she said, nearly breathless.

He smirked. "Are you sure? You don't know what you're getting into." She chuckled and met his hips with hers at a steady pace. He took that as a yes and did what she wanted. She dug her nails into his back and gripped him when she came. He purposefully held back his own release so he could give her the night of her life, as he promised when he warned her to stay away from him. However, he had no intention of ending their little tryst.

He then took her left leg, raised it to let it rest on his shoulder, and started all over again. This new position was pleasurable for them both, but they felt more with missionary. Draco was so close to release that he knew he wouldn't last much longer; it took every ounce of his will to keep it from happening. He put her leg down and pulled her up so that they were sitting and held her hips while he pushed up at an increasing rhythm.

His breathing was becoming more and more labored and sporadic; he lost control. Her release only made it worse. He felt her tightening around him until he couldn't bear it anymore, and came into her, groaning loudly into her neck. He never expected sex with Ginny would be so incredible. While holding her with one arm, he lowered her back onto the bed and he let himself come to rest halfway on top of her. They were still, catching their breath for about twenty minutes. Then, Draco flipped her over and pulled her up so that she was facing him.

"You're already hard again?" she asked. He shrugged and grinned. He lowered her down onto him and while she pushed with her legs, he held her sides and pulled her up and down. Both gasped gasped at the contact. Every time they were rejoined, it felt as if it was their first time all over again. He was perfect for her, and she for him; they moved together almost like they had been doing that for years.

As she came closer to release, she gripped his shoulders and kissed him fiercely, feeling him respond. His hands tightened on her waist, making little indents on her skin but she didn't feel any pain; it only made it more enjoyable. She threw her head back and he went for her neck, nibbling and biting, causing her to moan and gasp in immense pleasure. He did all he could to not slam into her, knowing it would probably be painful for her, so all he could do was push faster. As he did this, the pressure and heat in her belly built until it couldn't anymore, and she felt like the world exploded. She saw stars, and was shuddering, glancing at Draco's glassy and lust-filled silver eyes.

They switched positions a few more times, and then finally he flipped her over to lie on top of him. They were still joined, and breathing heavily. As Draco promised himself, she had screamed his name with all of her five orgasms. To be honest, he nearly screamed hers every time as well.

"Dear lord…" she whispered.

"I told you."

She chuckled softly. "How anyone can have so much stamina is beyond me…no wonder they call you the Slytherin sex god."

He grinned at this and looked at her beautiful head. "They really call me that?"

She lifted her head to look at him. "You didn't know?"

"Ha, I had no idea. But I can see why they say that."

She rolled her eyes. "Geez, you have such an ego."

"Damn right I do."

She looked down at his ribs and frowned; the scar was there again, but she could see a few others peeking around Draco's back. She leaned over him and her eyes widened in horror at the sight she saw. "Draco…"

"What?" he asked softly. He glanced at her and saw her hesitate. She had her bottom lip between her teeth. "What is it?"

"I'm a little afraid to ask."

"Try me."

"…How did you get those scars on your back?"

For a good long while, he didn't answer. He just stared at her, and she was afraid she had insulted him. "I guess you're not going to let this go, are you?"

"I will if you want me to…I'm just…"

"Horrified?" he suggested. "Disgusted?"

"Horrified, yes, and disgusted only because someone did this to you."

He was a little taken aback at how concerned she was, and it broke down his defensive wall a little. So he decided to tell her. He  


* * *

-

* * *

After about two hours of just laying together, Ginny awoke from her doze and realized that she needed to get back to the common room to go to sleep. She carefully sat up and was about to stand when she felt an arm slide across her waist and pull her down, making her chuckle. "I was trying to not wake you."

"Don' go. Stay 'ere," came the mumble from a half-asleep Draco.

"I have to go, Draco. Everyone will wonder where I am."

"Who cares."

"I do!" she said, exasperated, but amused. He mustered up enough strength to roll over so he could look at her. "Why? Just give 'em an excuse tomorrow. Come back to bed." He pulled her to him, his chest hard but smooth on her back. She giggled at how simply adorable he was being, and felt her heart soar unwillingly. But her rational side took over. She couldn't help but to think that he was probably acting like that because he was tired and wanted comfort and company. She sat up again, then stood, gathering her clothes and putting them on.

"I'm sorry, I really have to go. I have to do all of my assignments tomorrow because I haven't done them yet and I need my sleep if I'm going to spend an entire day in the library."

"Oh alright."

She smiled. "I'll see you later, you know. On Monday, probably, unless I see you in passing tomorrow."

"But not in bed."

She laughed. "Draco!"

"Go, go. You're right. Get rest. Even though you can get it here…" He mumbled the last part, but she heard it and playfully shoved his shoulder.

"We both know that I wouldn't get any sleep if I stayed here." He smirked, his eyes still closed. She took the chance to kiss him, and then left, walking down the stairs to the common room he shared with Hermione. She heard him growl something about teases and witches. She couldn't quite make it out, but she got the general idea and just shook her head.

When she placed her ear to the back of the portrait, she heard no one in the common room, so she opened it and nearly died. There was Hermione walking in with Ron, calling Ginny's name in case the girl in question was trying to find Hermione upstairs in the head girl's room.

"Ginny, if you're here, please come downstairs! Ginny? You weren't in Gryffindor, so I thought you might have come looking for me for something." But no answer was heard, just a flash of red and the soft click of the portrait of Salazaar Slytherin closing. Hermione walked over to it and banged on it, trying to get Draco's attention.

Ginny bolted up the stairs, trying to make as little noise as possible, and shoved open the second portrait that was the entrance to Draco's room. Draco sat up quickly at the noise, now more awake than he was a minute ago, looking as wide-eyed as he could at Ginny.

"What the hell, Gin?"

She didn't have the time to register that he used her nickname. "Hermione! And Ron! Almost caught me!"

"Oh geez. You weren't caught, were you?"

"No, I don't think so, but I think they heard the portrait of Slytherin click shut."

That was when they heard the banging downstairs.

"Shit."

"Draco, could you please go down and distract them? Please make an excuse? I'm not here…obviously."

The poor girl looked panic-stricken, and Draco got out of bed, not caring about his nakedness, and pulled on a pair of blue pajama bottoms.

"Yeah, I'll be right back."

Hermione was still knocking and Salazaar was yelling at "the bloody worthless mudblood" to quit, when the portrait suddenly swung open, nearly smacking her. Ron caught her and pulled her away from it. The entrance to the stairs revealed a topless, sleepy, disheveled, and very annoyed-looking Draco.

"Why the bloody hell are you fuckin' tearin' my door down?" Hermione had had her fair share of topless Draco sightings, so she was used to it, but it took Ron off guard a little.

"Well," she started, "we were looking for Ginny because she disappeared from the common room and we both saw a flash of red near your portrait and thought it might have been her."

"Why the hell would Weasley be anywhere _near_ my door?" he asked incredulously – a great actor, he was.

"Exactly what **I** wanna know!" Ron said loudly. Draco just glared at him.

"Shut up, Ron," she said. "I don't know, I was just wondering."

"You were hallucinat'n. Go to bed, 'rmione. An' leave me the hell alone. I'm tired."

He almost shut the portrait when Ron stopped him. "What did you just call her?"

"Her name, Weasel. Why? You 'ave a problem with that?"

"Yeah I do. You always call her Granger or mudblood. What happened to those?"

"It's what happens when you're forced to live with someone. It's called getting along, becoming friends, etcetera. Are you really that stupid? Alright here. I'll spell it out for you. Two people live together. They don't like each other but they're forced to stay in close quarters. They begin to work things out. I started calling her Hermione, and she started calling me Draco. Savvy? Now leave me the fuck alone."

At that, he slammed the door shut, hearing Salazaar congratulating him on being nasty to the blood traitor, but chiding him for being nice to the mudblood. He also heard Ron's annoying loud voice talking…or more like shouting…at Hermione.

"You call him DRACO?"

"YES I call him Draco! There's nothing wrong with that, Ronald!"

"YES THERE IS! He's a murderer! A death eater! OUR ENEMY! You should be careful! You shouldn't – " but he was cut off.

"_YOU_ SHOULDN'T JUDGE PEOPLE YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW! SHUT UP, RON! JUST SHUT UP AND LEAVE ME ALONE! I'M STARTING TO SEE WHY GINNY GETS SO ANNOYED WITH YOU BREATHING DOWN HER NECK ALL THE TIME!"

"WILL BOTH OF YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP?" they heard Draco's muffled voice roar from the top of the stairs. Ron left not too long after his and Hermione's row, and all was quiet.

"Whoa…"

Draco shut the door to his room, thoroughly annoyed, but a little heartened that Hermione had defended him against the guy she was in love with. She would never admit that, though. He wouldn't admit that he was heartened, either, so all was well, really.

"Yeah. Those two fucking woke me up completely. Now I can't sleep. And you're leaving. Damnit."

"I didn't know you and Hermione were getting so close." Ginny smirked, and Draco rolled his eyes.

"We're only civil to each other because we have to be, and we've gotten used to each other. Besides, she's not _that_ bad."

"Wow, I never thought you would ever admit that. Let alone think it." He playfully shoved her and walked past her to sit on his bed. "What do I do, now? I'd stay with you, Draco, but I need my sleep, and they know I'm gone, and now Ron's in an awful temper…"

"I don't know. Hermione's probably gone up to her room, and Weasel's probably scouting the castle for you."

"CRAP!"

"What?" he asked, startled by her outburst.

"THE MAP!"

"The who?"

"Harry has a map that Fred and George gave to him a few years ago, called the Marauder's Map. I shouldn't be telling you this…but I can't explain it without doing that. So…basically, it has a sort of passcode. When you say it, the map reveals all of Hogwarts and dots as the people wherever they are."

"Interesting…and you think one of them is going to find you here?"

"Yes because they were using it earlier! Oh no, what if they already know?"

"I'm sure it'll be okay. If you hurry over there now, I think you can make it far away from here before Weasel finds you on it."

She hugged Draco and kissed him passionately one more time, earning a groan from him. She walked to the portrait, but Draco stopped her.

"You know…in your first rush to get out of here, you forgot that you came with this." He held up Harry's invisibility cloak, and she gratefully took it from him. "Another thing…I _will_ get you back for teasing me."

"Oh you will, will you?" she asked, a wicked grin on her face. His grin matched hers, and he put his face so close to hers, their noses were almost touching.

"I will."

"I look forward to it."

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**And there you go. Finally, a Draco/Ginny…scene. I will have other scenes like this one between the other characters, but not as many as Ginny and Draco because…well that's what you're reading this for lol. I hope you all enjoyed it, and I promise it will get better. Also, more of the other couples, next. Thanks for reviewing.**

**Especially to Starfall. What a review! Thank you so much, it really made my day. I'm glad so many people like my story. And another special thanks to Ami-chan, author of 'I Am' who has helped me SO MUCH.**


	10. Hogsmeade and Pansy

Chapter 10

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter…blah…blah…blah.

**A HUGE thanks to Ami-chan!

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* * *

**

You are

The only one who needs to know

I'll keep you my dirty little secret

Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret

* * *

-

* * *

It was a full week after Gryffindor's win over Slytherin, and people were still talking about it. It was, after all, a hot topic. Harry was still grinning ear to ear every time he heard praise for his team, even though he wasn't in the game at all. He was their captain, though, and trained them all, though he never gave himself proper praise. He always praised his team, instead, and said it was because of their skills. He only helped to develop them.

It was a Hogsmeade weekend, and he was meeting Aurora, Ron, and Hermione at the entrance to the school, then they would head off to Hogsmeade and meet up with Ginny, Fred, George, Amanda, and Trinity two hours later because they decided to go to different shops.

Finally he saw them walking down the hallway. Ron was still not speaking to Hermione, he was a bit sore with Harry, and dared not to say anything about it to Aurora, but he had settled down a bit. He just could not understand why Harry dismissed Hermione's and Draco's sudden civility towards each other. When Aurora saw Harry, her face brightened, making his heart soar. She ran the rest of the way to him and jumped into his arms, throwing her own around his neck and standing on her toes to kiss him.

"And what did I do to deserve this?" he asked, very happily surprised by her enthusiasm.

She giggled. "What? Am I not allowed to be happy to see my boyfriend?" Then she whispered, "Draco's okay with it, you know."

He smiled. She randomly did things like that, and they were always unpredictable, which was one of the things Harry loved about her. He was also relieved that Malfoy wouldn't cause problems. This was when Hermione, then Ron, walked up to them.

"Hey, guys. Let's get going, hm?"

They nodded, and headed out into the cold, late morning air and down the road with clustered groups of other students towards the carriages that would take them to Hogsmeade.

"So we'll stop off at Wheezes, see how our little caretaker is doing managing the shop, give some things to you girls if you need them…troublemaking is a tiresome business, you know." They laughed at Fred's antics. He and George were getting so excited.

"Yes, then we'll go to Honeydukes," Ginny said, her sweet tooth now taking over.

"Gin…sweetie…your eyes are glazed over. Hello? Earth to Ginny?" Trinity waved a hand in front of her friend's face.

Ginny swatted it away. "Oh shut up."

"After Honeydukes, we'll head over to the Three Broomsticks to meet up with Harry, Ron, Mione, and Rora," said Amanda, nodding. They laughed again, as they always did, whenever Amanda did something like that. She useed hand or body language when she spoke, and she couldn't help it, which made it so funny for the rest of them. It was her quirk. She glared at them, but couldn't hold back the annoyed smile.

"And then we we'll go to that new shop Mione was talking about, with all the stuff for the Halloween masquerade," Ginny added. The notice about the masquerade was posted just yesterday by Hermione and Draco all around the school, with a small note encouraging students to buy things at Hogsmeade and to check out the new store (that was Hermione's little bit).

"Ohh, I'm excited for that," Trinity said. The guys rolled their eyes. "What? I may help you with all of your schemes, but I AM a girl, you know."

"You sure about that?" George asked.

"I think we need proof," Fred said, snickering. Trinity glared at Fred and punched him. To her guy friends, she actually used force when she playfully hit them. It was her girl friends she was careful with.

"Ow!" He rubbed his shoulder, still trying to hold back his laughter, but was unsuccessful.

"YOU should know!..." She then realized what she said, and slowly turned her head to look at the quizzical expressions on Ginny's and Amanda's faces. "I just meant that I spend so much time with them, girls."

"You addressed only Fred, not both of them," Amanda said slowly, glancing at Ginny's shocked face.

"It was Fred…" was all she managed to get out. This time, everyone was looking at her.

"What?" Fred asked.

"When you came into the room a few weeks ago, and I said you looked thoroughly kissed and you wouldn't tell us who it was. It was Fred! Wasn't it?"

"Uhhh…" Fred and Trinity shared a look. Ginny's face changed so drastically so fast within just a few seconds, it was hard to follow her expressions. First she looked surprised, then outraged, then worried, and finally, excited.

"Ginny, you are one weird girl," Amanda said.

Ginny looked at her, confused. "What? Why?"

"Your face just changed four or five different expressions in less than ten seconds," George said.

"Um…so…we've been found out, huh?" Trinity asked. Ginny, Amanda, and George nodded, though George already knew about the 'affair.'

"And there's no use making up excuses?" Fred asked.

They shook their heads.

"Are you going to kill me?" Trinity asked Ginny. She hesitated for a moment, scaring the taller girl.

"No. I'm really angry that neither of you told me, especially since it involves one of my best friends and my _brother_, but I'm excited because both of you needed to get with someone _baaaaaad_."

They laughed all the way to Hogsmeade.

"So, when are you gonna tell Harry and them that you've finally caught a boyfriend, Trin?" Amanda asked when they left the carriage at the gates of the town. Trinity and Fred looked at each other warily, then back at Amanda and Ginny.

"Um…we're just…it's not like…"

"She's not my girlfriend," Fred finished for Trinity.

"What did you say?" Ginny asked quietly.

"Neither of us wanted any commitment, so we both decided that we'd be friends…with benefits," Trinity answered quickly.

"Lots of benefits. Great benefits." Trinity shot another glare at Fred, who let out a laugh.

"You…but…what? Why? What's the point if you're not going to date anyone else?" Ginny asked, confused.

"Well, we didn't want anyone to know at first, and also, it makes the relationship much easier," Trinity explained.

Then Fred chimed in. "Without the titles, it's a little looser, and there are no giant fights or drama. And it's more fun, because there's no awkwardness between us that's always there in new couples, so it's all good."

"I never liked fully committed relationships, anyway," said Trinity. "They're too complicated and full of annoyances that I don't want to deal with. They're much more emotional, where as what Fred and I have is so much more fun." She grinned at her lover, and he grinned right back, placing an arm around her. "See? No emotional stuff, and we're friends. Boyfriends and girlfriends aren't really friends, unless they're really in love, and the ones in love that are also best friends are extremely rare cases. It's also fun teasing him." Fred pouted at her, making her laugh.

It was then Ginny realized that her relationship with Draco was exactly the same.

* * *

-

* * *

"Mmmmm…chocolate…"

Trinity shook her head at Ginny, who was gone to the world while she was eating her sweets. They had reached the Three Broomsticks and went inside, finding Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Aurora already there saving a large table for them.

"Hey, guys," Aurora said. She was sitting on Harry's lap, and the other group guessed that she was in one of her affectionate moods. George didn't have a reaction, Harry noticed, and he felt better about being in a relationship with Aurora. George sat down between Fred and Amanda and the group started chatting when few unwelcome familiar faces walked up to them.

"Hi, Fred," giggled Brittany Mayes. Katie Sherry, Zara King, and Rose Clark, Brittany's lackeys, stood close to her but gave her space with her 'precious Freddie.'

"Um…hello," Fred said, politely but disgusted; Brittany had recently taken a liking to him.

Trinity narrowed her eyes at the obviously fake blonde girl who was flirting with _her_ man. "Is there something you want, Mayes?"

"Nothing you could give me, Hawethorne. I'm not into girls, like you are. I think it's rather disgusting, and trashy."

"That's your opinion. And frankly, your opinion doesn't matter. In my opinion, liking both genders is very beneficial in a relationship." She leaned over and kissed Fred soundly on the lips, making Brittany gasp, and the people at the table who didn't know yet about Trinity's and Fred's relationship dropped their jaws.

"NO! How dare you kiss MY Fred!" She went to lunge at Trinity but Fred stood up and grabbed the blonde's arms, gripping them tightly.

"Ow, you're hurting me!"

"This pain is nothing compared to the pain you'll feel if you touch her."

"What? But you're a man! You can't hit girls!"

"I may not, but Trinity can kick your sorry ass to hell and back, AND I have a little sister who's tough as nails."

"She's a little harlot! How can you like her at all? She's just trash! You need to keep better control over your sister, too. You never know who will have her next – " Everyone at the table jumped up, causing Fred to let go of the other girl. The chain on Ginny's pants jingled menacingly, and the quick rise made Brittany take an involuntary step backwards. Because of when Ginny pummeled her in the beginning of the year, the girls thought.

"Watch your mouth. I broke your nose once, and I'll do it again."

"Oh I'm so scared. The little Weasel's threatening me."

"Thanks for stealing my brother's word, and actually, that was a promise," Aurora said, "and not just from her. From all of us, as well."

"What are you going to do, Malfoy? Use the cruciatus on us?" Brittany asked, meaning her and her friends, who stepped up on cue.

"She wouldn't, but I might, if you threaten her again," came a deep voice from behind them. They turned, and everyone sitting at the table saw Draco with Blaise, Zack, and Pansy, who was looking rather upset about something but trying to hide it.

"You're even more outnumbered than you were before, Mayes," Harry said. "I suggest you leave Ginny and my girlfriend alone, or I'll help Malfoy with that threat." Aurora's smile was so bright, it could have lit up the room were it a source of light.

Brittany now looked a bit uneasy, but didn't move. "You're the 'Golden Boy' and a Gryffindor. You wouldn't hurt me. After all, it would ruin your reputation," she said, trying to sound confident.

Malfoy smirked evilly at her. "He'll hold you down for me." With that, she left, her girls following behind. Draco nodded at Harry, ruffled his sister's hair, gave a little smirk to Ginny, who smirked back without letting anyone else see, and he moved off with his friends to find a table.

"Well, that was interesting," Hermione said.

Harry noticed Aurora's beaming smile as she sat back down on his lap. "Thank you," she whispered, kissing him. He smiled back, somehow feeling that their relationship would work out after all. Malfoy didn't seem to mind that much. His nod was proof enough.

After about ten minutes of chatting, joking, and laughing with her friends, Ginny excused herself to go to the restroom; her hands were a bit sticky from picking out sweets in Honeydukes. When she walked in, she washed her hands and was about to leave when she heard sniffling coming from one of the stalls. She felt bad but she thought it wasn't her business, so she opened the door but stopped in her tracks at the heart-wrenching sob that followed. She closed the door and walked over to the stall and knocked, but there was no answer. The door moved, though, so she figured it wasn't locked. She pushed it opened and gasped at the sight of the beautiful, half-Hawaiian Slytherin sitting on the seat with her knees pulled up to her chest, crying her heart out.

Ginny ran to the sinks, grabbed a box of tissues, and hurried back to the stall. She pulled out five or six of them, then gently pulled the girl's head up and began to clean her face.

"Pansy…what happened to you?" she asked softly, not expecting an answer. The distraught girl only kept crying, and Ginny discarded the now damp tissues to pull Pansy into a gentle hug. Pansy knew who was helping her, but she was too depressed to care. She clutched Ginny's shirt and buried her face in the redhead's shoulder, needing comfort so badly that she would not turn away the only source that was available. Especially since the Gryffindor was willing to give it.

Ginny stroked Pansy's hair, nearly crying herself at the state Pansy was in. She ran her fingers through the soft, long, jet black strands of Pansy's gorgeous hair that only Hawaiians were blessed with, and what most women would kill to have.

"Gin…Ginny…"

"You don't have to talk. Just cry it out. I won't leave."

"W-why?"

"Because I would want someone to do the same for me, and I can't just leave you here. That would be an awful thing to do."

"A-and very un-Gryffindor-like."

Ginny chuckled. "Yes, that too."

After about five more minutes, Pansy sat up and Ginny dried her face again. "How do you have such a big heart?"

"I…don't know." She smiled at Pansy's compliment.

"My…father…"

"You don't have to tell me, Pansy. I'm here if you want to talk, but don't if you don't want to."

Pansy shook her head and continued. "He was killed…" Ginny's eyes widened, and her heart reached out for the girl. "By my mother. She's an awful woman. I hate her…she's a big supporter of Voldemort. She…she killed him because he was defending me!" More tears slid down her face, and Ginny took Pansy's hand in hers, trying to give as much comfort as she could. "I got the letter this morning…but Draco, Blaise, and Zack…I didn't want them to know yet and so I couldn't say I didn't feel like…going to Hogsmeade, so I had to."

"I'm so sorry, Pansy…" and she really was. She handed Pansy a few more tissues, which she gratefully took.

"Thank you."

Ginny smiled and shook her head. "Of course."

"Now I have no one left, nowhere to go. Nowhere to live. I can't go back there. I can't go back to her. But I have to at some point." She looked so frightened, and Ginny didn't know what to do.

"Where are Draco, Blaise, and Zack?"

"In there somewhere," Pansy replied, pointing her hand in the direction of the door. "I think near the back right corner. Why?"

Ginny stood and walked out of the stall with one last squeeze of Pansy's hand.

"Ginny? Ginny where are you going? Come back! Please! Don't tell them!" But Ginny was already out the door. "Why are you such a good person?"

* * *

-

* * *

"Where the hell is Pansy?" Draco asked no one in particular. "She's been gone for ages."

"Must have eaten something bad for breakfast," Zack muttered, concentrated on his card game with Blaise, but actually worried because she really had been gone for about twenty minutes.

"Well we certainly can't check on her," Draco said.

"I hope she's alright," Blaise added. "She looked down this morning."

"I'm sure she's fine. Now go! You're making me impatient," Zack said, annoyed.

"You're always impatient." Blaise threw down a card. "There. Happy, your highness?"

"I believe that title goes to Draco, not me." Draco scowled and threw down a card of his own. "Hey isn't that Weasel's sister?" they heard Zack ask.

Sure enough, when the two looked in the direction Zack was facing, they saw Ginny walking towards them with a worried expression on her face. Draco nodded. "Yeah, it is."

"Wonder what she's doing. There's no one over here she ever talks to."

Draco inwardly smirked. Little did Blaise know…there was. Someone who she did more with than just talk.

"Why is she walking over to us? What does she want with us?"

"Who knows, Zack. Probably something important, cause she wouldn't just waltz over here to chat," Blaise said, bored.

She finally reached their table and addressed Blaise and Draco, since she really disliked Zack. "Guys, listen, Pansy – "

"You know something about Pansy?" Zack asked, now fully alert.

Ginny glared at him. "Yes, and if you'd shut up and listen, you'd know faster."

Zack sneered at her, while Blaise and Draco admired her forwardness.

"Where is she, Red?"

"She's in the bathroom crying her eyes out…her father was murdered by her mother, and she's really upset. Not only about her father but now, she has no place to live…she doesn't want to go back to her mother's. Please, I don't know what to do. I can only help her so much, but you can do more since you're her friends."

Draco nodded.

"Bring her outside behind the Three Broomsticks. We'll meet you there," Blaise said hurriedly. Ginny nodded and rushed back to the bathroom.

"Pansy, come on. We're going outside to meet up with them."

"No…no no no they can't see me like this."

"Pansy, they're your best friends. I'm sure they'll help you much more than I'm helping you."

"You don't realize how much you've done for me, Ginny."

"It's alright, I don't mind. And I'm glad to help. Now come on, they're meeting us now." Pansy hesitantly followed Ginny out of the bathroom and out of the side door, making sure that the Gryffindors didn't spot them.

Very few things get past Trinity Hawethorne's eyes. The others may not have noticed the amount of time that went by since Ginny had gone to the restroom, but she did, and she saw her run out to talk to Malfoy, Zabini, and Langley, then run back in and out again with Pansy. She also noted that the Slytherins left through the back door, as did Ginny and Pansy Parkinson a few minutes later. She narrowed her eyes, but chose to keep this bit of information to herself until she saw Ginny later.

"Pans, sweetheart, come here," Blaise said, taking her into his arms. She hugged him, and then Draco and Zack got a turn.

"Red told us what happened."

She looked at her blonde brother-figure with sad eyes, and nodded. "She's a great person. She helped me, not caring who I was, and what I used to do to her and her friends." She turned to Ginny. "She came in and saw me crying, so she got me tissues, dried my face, pulled me into a hug and stroked my hair to calm me down. Then she went to get you three even when I told her not to. She'd make a great friend, if she'd allow it."

Ginny looked completely surprised. A Slytherin, one who used to be so awful to everyone she knew, was asking her to be her friend.

"Why would I not? I don't even know why you _want_ to be my friend. I'm a blood traitor."

"That doesn't matter to me anymore. I see now that our stupid prejudices are just that – assumptions. And they were completely wrong."

"So Weasley, welcome to the group." Draco held out his hand, smirking, but only Ginny knew exactly why he was smirking, and what was going through his head. If they played it up over a bit of time that they were becoming friends, they could joke around and hang out with each other and they wouldn't have to hide that. A shiver of excitement traveled down her spine when she shook his hand, giving a smirk of her own.

"Why thank you, Malfoy. How kind of you."

"Still sarcastic as ever, I see. You'll do fine with us." She shook her head at him, chuckling, then shook Blaise's hand, and, hesitantly and certainly not one-sided, Zack's.

"I still can't believe that you really did that for her," Blaise commented, astonished, making Ginny blush in modesty.

"It wasn't a problem. I couldn't just leave her there, and she just looked so sad."

"Stop making excuses for your golden heart. Don't be so modest." But coming from Zack, that was a huge compliment, and Ginny gave him a smile.

"I think it's a charming trait," Blaise added.

Draco, without realizing it, grew fonder of her, and knew in his heart that she was more to him than just a lover. Possibly a future friend, as well.

"Now, Pansy, I'm going to take you to this shop Hermione told me about for the Halloween dance. It supposedly has great things, and not too expensive."

"But what about your friends?"

"You need to have fun right now. They can see me later."

Score 2 for Ginny with the Slytherins, even though she did not know it. The fact that she would skip out on her older friends to help Pansy was unreal to them, and very big. She had their protection now, for good.

"Let me run in and tell them that I have something to do, and I'll meet up with them later. Ok?" She came back about five minutes later, smiling.

Ginny took Pansy's hand to lead her to the store when she noticed three of them weren't following.

"Well? Are you guys coming, or not?"

"I didn't know we were invited," Blaise said with a smile.

"Of course you are don't be stupid now hurry up or I won't wait. Pansy and I will have a girl's day if you don't catch up." Pansy laughed, encouraging the guys. And so, with Pansy and the boys in tow, Ginny led them down the street to the newest shop, one "La Vie Boheme".

* * *

-

* * *

**Sorry it took so long to update. The next chapter is almost done! I'm in college and finally settled in...with three science courses, one of them a graduate level with a lab and dissecting! ayyy...**

**Once again, thank you Ami-chan! hugs **


	11. La Vie Boheme

Chapter 11

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter. The seventh book does not exist in my mind. I do not acknowledge it. Only my characters are my own, as is the plot, and no one may use my characters without my permission. Thank you.**

**Thank you for being my beta, Ami!

* * *

-

* * *

**

I'll keep you my dirty little secret

Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret

I hope that you can keep it

My dirty little secret

* * *

-

* * *

"I wonder why Ginny had to leave so suddenly," Amanda said.

"She said it was an emergency, but what could have come up so fast?" Trinity asked herself. Harry shrugged.

"Oh well. We'll see her later. For now, we should go to…to…that Vie place."

Hermione shook her head at Harry. "'La Vie Boheme.'"

"Er, right. That."

Aurora giggled at Harry. "You're so adorable sometimes."

"Harry's actually blushing! I never thought I'd see the day!" Fred managed to choke out between bouts of laughter.

Harry threw a napkin at him, only succeeding in making him snort.

"Come on, enough horsing about. We have Halloween costumes to buy," Trinity said, smiling

They left their money on the table for the butterbeers they had, and walked down the main road towards the store. When they finally reached it, they stood in front in awe. In the window were intricate masks and a few examples of men and women's clothing from all different centuries from Asia, Europe, and America.

When they walked inside, a few of them whistled at how simply amazing these costumes were. Hermione was right; this store was definitely perfect for the masquerade.

"It's so BIG!" Aurora said, looking around.

"It really is a phenomenal store. Thanks, Mione." Amanda hurried over to one of the dresses and looked at the label. It was made with a style that was from the 1700's, and would have been worn by daughters from families of high status and good wealth, like a Governor, or a higher lord. It had a pointed drop waist, like a princess, she thought, and was a pale blue with gold embroidered designs on it.

"Hey Harry!" Harry turned at his girlfriend's voice, and laughed. She had on a deep purple mask with tall feathers shooting out of it. Now purple went very well with her hair and eye color, but this mask was just… "Ridiculous, huh?" she asked, laughing at his expression. He shook his head at her and took the mask off, making her laugh more.

"Pansy! What do you think of this one?" This caught their attention, especially since the voice sounded oddly familiar to them.

"Oh no, the Slytherins are here," Ron said with disgust. Aurora shot him a fierce glare, which shut him up, and she ran to where she heard the voice.

"Oh Ginny, please take that off! It's awful! Especially with your hair!" said Pansy, laughing. Aurora stopped in her tracks, as did everyone else. They all glanced at each other, and then went around the corner to see Ginny with a bright red, orange, gold, and yellow phoenix mask with feathers taller than the one Aurora had just tried on, both her and Pansy in giggles.

"GINNY!" The two girls jumped and Ginny took off the mask in a hurry, turning to a red-faced Ron and the rest of her friends. She glanced at Pansy, who looked at her with a worried expression on her face. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

Ginny narrowed her eyes. "I'm hanging out with my friend and her friends, who are around here somewhere. What does it look like I'm doing, Ronald?"

"You're hanging out with Slytherins!"

"Watch it, they're my family and friends," Aurora warned, but he was too angry with Ginny that he didn't pay attention. Just then, Draco, Blaise, and Zack turned the corner and walked up to them.

"I thought I heard a Weasel," Zack said, sneering.

"Shut up, Langley! I'm taking my sister and we're leaving. Come on, Ginny." But Ginny didn't move. Instead, she placed a hand on Pansy's shoulder and sent Ron one of her famous death glares. It even stopped him in his tracks, but he kept at it. "Ginny."

"Oh do shut up, Ronald. So she's hanging out with Slytherins. Who cares? It's just another house, for goodness sakes!" This was very surprising coming from Hermione.

"YOU should shut up. You, after all, hang out with _Draco_."

"RON! I am allowed to call him Draco! I LIVE with him, for Merlin's sake! What the HELL is wrong with that?"

"Oh dear, Mione cursed. She's really mad," Fred said.

Trying to stop another fight, Harry stepped in. "Just let it go, Ron. We'll all find what we need here, then meet up outside. How's that, Gin?"

Ginny smiled, and nodded.

"NO! She has to come with us NOW." Fred and George hit Ron on the head pretty hard. "OW! What the hell was that for?"

"For treating our sister like an animal." They were really angry, making Ron back down a little.

"You're such an asshole, Ron. 'Scuse me, Ginny," Aurora said. Ginny didn't seem to care that her friend insulted her brother, so she continued. "Why can't you just accept the fact that not all Slytherins are evil? You're a stupid, ignorant git, and if you keep this up, I'll have no reason to like you or stay friends with you. Merlin. I can't even stay in the same room as you." She pushed past him and walked outside to wait for them. Both Harry and Draco glared at Ron at the same time.

"Ginny, come!"

And then she exploded.

"I AM NOT YOUR GODDAMN DOG! YOU CAN'T BOSS ME AROUND JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE MY OLDER BROTHER! I have a life, Ron, and you are not my keeper! As for an explanation to my _friends_, I really did have an emergency I had to attend to! Just because you don't know what it is doesn't mean it doesn't exist!"

"Really?" Trinity asked. She didn't care that Ginny was friends with Slytherins, but she hated when her own friends lied to her.

Ginny looked hurt, and Pansy stepped up. "Yes, really. You may have no prejudices against any other house, but you should at least believe your best friend when she tells you something. Even Slytherins have issues sometimes. You should be grateful to have her friendship. You're extremely lucky."

This evaporated Trinity's, and anyone else's anger for Ginny except Ron's.

"I think you should leave," Hermione said dangerously to him. And so he left.

"I'm sorry, Gin, I didn't realize that you were helping her," Trinity said. "I thought you were keeping something from us."

Ginny shook her head. "It's fine."

Aurora came running in then.

"Thank goodness he's gone." Harry kissed her head – then stopped once he realized what he did in front of her brother, and glanced at Draco. But the Slytherin just shrugged and his face changed to an expression that basically stated, 'If you must.' Aurora beamed.

Ginny sighed. "Anyway, I dunno about you guys, but I'm ready to go back to having fun while Ron's gone."

"I say, that's the best idea you've had all day," George said, happy that he made his sister laugh.

While they made groups and went off in different directions, as Draco walked past Aurora with Blaise and Zack, he ruffled his sister's hair and said in a low voice, "I won't say I like it. But he makes you happy. As long as he doesn't touch my spot." She giggled and smiled at him, then watched him walk away.

"What was that about?" Harry asked. He had heard what Draco said, since he was standing next to her.

"Top of my head. You can't kiss it. It belongs to him." She laughed. He shook his head and chuckled.

"Okay."

Aurora then walked up to Pansy and hugged her. "I hope you're alright."

"I've been better, but I'll be fine, Rory. Don't you worry your pretty little head over it."

The blonde smiled and took her sister-figure's hand. "Let's go find you something stunning that'll sweep Blaise off his feet."

"Rora!"

"Oh come on, you know you want to." She dragged Pansy down an aisle, laughing all the way with Ginny following.

"She likes Blaise?"

Pansy blushed, but it was hard to see with her Hawaiian skin. "Oh shut up. I do not."

"Hey…I just got an idea…"

"Uh-oh…whenever that phrase comes out of Aurora's mouth, it's something bad…"

"No! Pansy! This is good I promise!"

"What is it?" Ginny asked.

"Well…you wanna make Ron angry, right? Pay him back for screaming at you and treating you like a dog?"

"I want to!" Fred and George said, suddenly showing up next to them making them all jump.

"AH! How the hell do you DO that?" Aurora yelped.

"I've given up asking them," Ginny replied dully.

"But you do it, too," the blonde said.

"Not as good as them. I only learned so I could sneak up on them to pay them back for the tricks they used to pull on me. They thought I was so good, they recruited me."

"So what's the plan, Miss Malfoy?" George asked, eyes sparkling with mischief. He had not completely gotten over his crush on her, but it had disintegrated.

Aurora grinned. "Okay so when Pansy used to go to clubs and such, she would dress punk-ish. You know, like how Ginny's been dressing but much more so. Like, baggy or tight black pants with chains and metal studs, black shirt and nails – you know. I think, if you two don't mind your sister looking ravishingly sexy, we should dress her up like that. And if Pansy doesn't mind, of course, using her clothes." Aurora glanced at Pansy, who nodded approvingly.

"Hey, why should we mind? We may be her brothers…but we're her partners in crime," Fred said, glancing at George and grinning.

"Yeah. And we're not Ron," George responded.

"Let's plan this when we get back to the castle," said Aurora. "I want to buy my Halloween costume."

"How the hell are we going to get through this entire store?" Ginny asked incredulously, her eyes wide.

"We're certainly gonna try," Pansy answered.

"There you are!" Trinity said, walking up to them with Amanda. "What's going on?"

"I think we should let them in on the plan," Ginny grinned.

"Ooh, a secret plan?" Amanda asked.

"So what is this oh so secret plan that five people already know about and two more are being informed?"

"Trinity, right?" Pansy asked. The taller girl nodded, her black hair swishing over her shoulders; it had gotten longer since the beginning of the year, and now just barely brushed the nape of her neck. She had also straightened out the cut so one side was not longer than the other anymore, and the thick purple strand was still there. "Well, I have a lot of punk slash gothic clothes, and we were planning to dress Ginny up in them since some of them don't fit me anymore and I don't wear them. The plan is to get back at her brother. Ginny dresses kind-of punk, anyway. We're just making it more so, and making her look sexy."

"Punk is always sexy, no matter how much of it there is on someone," came a voice. They looked up at the direction of the voice, since they were huddled together in a corner, and saw Draco, Blaise, and Zack. It was Draco who spoke, and Fred and George tensed up a little. Not because he was a Slytherin, but because even though they were Ginny's partners in crime, they were still her brothers, and therefore protective of her.

"Well then I guess you'll just have to help me pick out what looks best," Ginny said with a smirk and mischievous cling in her eyes. "You being a guy and all."

"I'm so glad you noticed."

"I think us girls should help her, Drake, since you'll be too busy staring at her and drooling during the process." Draco glared at Pansy while the girls laughed, and Fred and George couldn't decide whether to be slightly offended or amused.

"Okay so now ten people know about this plan…doesn't seem that secret to me anymore. Who are we not telling?" Trinity asked.

"Well we can't let Potter and Granger know about it," Pansy replied strongly. "That will ruin everything."

Ginny and Aurora started to protest, but Amanda cut them off. "She's right. No matter how great they are as friends…and boyfriend, they won't like the idea and they will tell Ron."

"I disagree. I think Harry would actually like the idea, seeing how angry he was with Ron. He's like that; when he's mad at Ron, he won't talk to him and I'm sure he would like to get back at him," Aurora said.

"I think we should keep it between us," Blaise said. "He WAS pissed, but Ron is still his best friend, and we're talking about sexifying his sister, who is like Potter's sister as well."

While the Gryffindors stared confused at Blaise, Pansy shook her head and Zack and Draco shook their heads.

"Blaise likes to make words up," Pansy explained.

Ginny's eyes lit up. "I do that all the time." She giggled. "Okay so we don't have all day. Let's split up and find our costumes. This place closes at 7, and it's 5:30 now."

"Agreed," said Fred and George. And so they went their separate ways, some of them planning to meet back up at the castle for dinner.

* * *

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* * *

**I hope you all liked it! I will really try hard to update as soon as I can, it's just I'm in college and it's hard, especially because I'm a sophomore with a graduate level anatomy class…and two more science classes. So please be patient! This story is far from over. **


	12. Comfort and a Scandal

Chapter 12

Bottom of Form

Disclaimer: I do not own anything having to do with the actual series of Harry Potter. Just my story and my characters.

Wow I am SO sorry for letting this go for so long! I swear I had such awful writer's block, AND at least one test/quiz every week, sometimes two or three. UGH. College...it sucks. But anyway, I am back now with a vengeance! And with a nicer, edited plot! Again, I'm sorry! I hope you enjoy this! The next chapter will be coming as soon as I can edit and put it up...college is a bitch and a half but it's almost over. They I will be writing like crazy.

* * *

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* * *

I hope that you can keep it

My dirty little secret

Who has to know?

The way she feels inside

Those thoughts I can't deny

* * *

-

* * *

"Well I think it's doing pretty well," Trinity said. Ginny poked the plant in question with a quill and watched in boredom as the plant suddenly lashed out and destroyed the writing utensil.

"Why do we have _this_ as a project?" Aurora complained. "Stupid herbology..."

Trinity looked up from her notes. "Oh quit your whining. This is an easy project, especially since we're all doing it together. Ginny, _do_ stop poking it. I don't want a bad grade because there's a dent in the stupid thing. Go poke the other one."

"Hey!" Aurora and Amanda said in protest.

"Then _we'll_ get a bad grade!" Aurora folded her arms across her chest. Trinity just stared at her until they both snorted and fell over giggling.

"That was _so_ un-Trinity-like," Ginny commented, now lounging on the carpeted floor next to the remains of four quills, though far enough away from the 'demented plant,' as she called it.

"So I giggled. Big deal." This made Ginny laugh, and turn over on her back. She waved her wand in a swirling pattern while pointing it at the ceiling, re-arranging the stars she put there a few weeks ago.

Just then, Hermione came in after knocking with Fred and George.

"How did you guys get up here?" Aurora asked them.

"These two were trying to jinx the stairs so that they didn't turn into a chute," Hermione said, shaking her head.

The twins looked innocent. "What? We were only trying to visit our beautiful friends, Mione." Fred placed his arm around her shoulders and smiled charmingly.

"Oh please. I don't fall for your charms. It's a good thing I came along when you were trying to get in. Anyway, I have to go do work. I'll see you all later for dinner." She closed the door behind her and the twins plopped down on either side of Trinity, making Ginny emit an annoyed noise; Fred blocked her view of the group. She got up and rearranged herself so that she was still on her back, but her head was in the middle of the circle, grumbling about stupid brothers making her move.

"You always have to be the center of attention, Gin, don't you?" Trinity asked.

Ginny nodded and stuck her hands above her head. "Of course I do!" Trinity shook her head and chuckled, then proceeded to poke Ginny with a clean quill point.

"Ow! Quit it!"

"Don't like it so much, do you? I feel bad for Herbert," Trinity said.

"Oh shut it."

"Herbert?" George asked.

"The plant…Ginny named it," Amanda answered.

"What? It fits!" Ginny said. "And that one is Marvin." She pointed to Aurora and Amanda's plant, but took her hand back quickly because she got to close to Herbert, and it lashed out at her. "Bloody demented plant…"

"Hey, isn't that Malfoy's Owl?" Fred asked, looking at the window.

Ginny looked up at him. "The Malfoy's aren't the only wizarding family with eagle owls, you know," his sister said.

"And just how many wealthy families here are wealthy enough to have a European Eagle Owl?"

"Gee, Fred, I didn't know you knew so much about Draco. Is there something you want to tell me?" she asked, teasingly, then barked in laughter at seeing Fred's incredulous expression.

"Ginny!"

"What? Oh fine! I'll go check. Sheesh! Making me get up _again_." She stood and walked over to the window, opening it and taking the letter from the large bird.

"Well you _are_ the one here who's friends with him," Trinity pointed out.

"_Pansy_, not Draco," the redhead corrected.

"Oh? Then what's with the whole 'Draco' thing?" Aurora asked, now highly amused.

"Hermione calls him that, too! And the letter is from Pansy, not _Malfoy_." She opened and read it after giving the owl a treat.

"What's it say?" Amanda asked.

"She wants to see me, and all of you if you want, at dinner time in her room on Saturday. So that's…in three days. Awesome! It's for 'sexyifying' me, as Blaise said. Apparently he was looking over Pansy's shoulder as she was writing this…Are you all up for that?" Ginny asked.

They nodded.

"Yeah, definitely," Aurora said.

"Anything to get away from these stinky Gryffindors." They all laughed at George's input as Fred agreed with his twin.

"So we'll be missing dinner?" Trinity asked.

Ginny shook her head. "We'll go down to the kitchens while everyone is in the Great Hall, then go to her room."

"Talking about food is making me hungry," Amanda said.

"Yeah, me, too," Amanda agreed. "Let's go get dinner."

"Hang on, let me reply to Pansy."

_Pansy,_

_We'd love to! Meet us in the kitchens but make sure you're not seen – you know how they're off limits. Anyway, we'll get something to eat (we know Dobby so it's easy to do so), then go up to your room…hopefully, there aren't many Slytherins in the common room. Don't want to catch more attention than I will when I'm all dolled up and Ron sees me! Is it alright if Fred and George come? Can't wait. Bye!_

_Ginny_

"Alright, I'm done. Let's go! I'm starving."

"You're always starving," Trinity commented.

"Oh hush, you. So I like food. Food is yummy." They were about to leave when the large eagle owl came back, bringing Pansy's answer.

* * *

-

* * *

"It's from Ginny. She says she'll be meeting me in the kitchens when dinner starts and we'll go up and eat in my room while we go over what to do with her."

"I'll get something from the Great Hall," Draco said.

"Saturday dinners are the best," Blaise added, "So I'll be going, too. Theo always goes, so I don't think he'll be joining you in the kitchens. Will you be okay?"

"Yes of course."

"You sure you don't want one of us to go with you?"

"Draco! It's not like they're dangerous! It's Ginny, for Merlin's sake, and Aurora and their friends. They're not opposed to Ginny's friendship with us."

She scribbled a '_yes_' on a small piece of parchment as her answer to Ginny's question about her twin brothers, and sent it back to her with Draco's owl because hers was out hunting.

* * *

-

* * *

"She said everyone here in this room can come. But remember – NO saying a word of this to any of your other friends!" Ginny explained. They all nodded. Suddenly, Fred jumped up with George following him, grabbing Trinity on the way to the door. There were many unpleasant protests from her.

"Well, we'll meet you all there at the appointed time. Until then, adieu!"

"Where the hell are you taking me? I demand an answer! I will not be treated like some commoner!"

"Oh calm down, Trin. You'll see," Fred said with a sparkle in his eyes.

"I want to eat, damn you!"

"Farewell, my friends!" George said, ignoring Trinity and closing the door, leaving the rest of the room's occupants to look at each other, confused.

"That was…interesting," Aurora said.

Ginny shrugged. "They always do random things like that. They're probably off to do mischief. As for me – I'm so damn hungry! Let's GO!"

"Alright alright!" they said back, standing up and walking out of the room.

"Hey, Pansy doesn't look so good."

"Huh?"

It was Friday afternoon, and Ginny and Aurora had just finished care of magical creatures and hurried up to the Great Hall for lunch. Pansy was sitting alone at the Slytherin table, picking at her food and not eating it.

"Can't you see? She looks depressed."

"Oh wow…I hadn't noticed when we came in…"

"Could it be her father, do you think?"

"Yeah, most likely."

"She told me about that the night after it happened. I went to visit her to make sure she was alright. I really appreciate what you did for her, Ginny."

Ginny smiled. "I was just being myself."

"You don't give yourself enough credit. You're a wonderful person."

"Thank you," Ginny said, blushing slightly. "Let's go sit with her."

"What?"

"Let's go sit with her."

"But what about…you'll be seen! I don't care if I am because everyone knows I won't be parted from my brother or friends, but you…"

"I don't care, either. She's my friend now, too, and I won't let a petty house rivalry get in the way of making her feel better. Let's go." Ginny got up and walked over to Pansy, Aurora right behind her. She felt the eyes of many students following her, but she didn't care.

"Ginny…what are you doing?" Pansy asked.

"Sitting next to you. What does it look like?"

"But…"

"I don't care that we're in different houses. That shouldn't mean that I can't sit with my friend."

"Well said, G.W.," Blaise said from the other side of Pansy.

"G.W.?" Ginny asked, raising an eyebrow.

Pansy shook her head. "Don't mind him," she said. "He likes making up silly nicknames for people, even if it is just the first letters of their first and last names."

Blaise gently shoved Pansy's shoulder. "Oh come now, Pans. They're not silly, they're fun!" He nodded his head, making her shake hers again.

It was then when Ginny noticed Pansy had been crying. "Pansy…what's wrong?"

The older girl shook her head softly and said, "Nothing."

Ginny didn't buy it, though, and wrapped her arms around Pansy, who, surprisingly, buried her face in Ginny's shoulder, just like she did at the Three Broomsticks. Ginny rubbed her back as she tried hard not to cry in front of everyone, then gave Blaise and Aurora a look, asking for help.

Blaise placed a hand on the girl's shoulder and leaned down next to her head. "Pans? Do you want to go to the dorm?" But Pansy put her arms around Ginny in response, not able to say anything in fear that she might burst out in tears. "Ginny can come, too."

"Come on, Pansy. Let's go," Ginny said gently. She stood slowly and guided Pansy out of the Great Hall, eyes of the other students still on them.

When they reached Slytherin, Blaise said the password not caring that Ginny heard it, and lead them inside to Pansy's room.

"Lucky Pansy here got a single, and she's only a sixth year," he said, trying to lighten up the mood.

Ginny led Pansy to the bed and they both sat down, Pansy's face still hidden between Ginny's neck and shoulder.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Aurora asked. Pansy didn't say yes, but she didn't do anything that meant no, so Ginny stroked her hair and asked what was eating at her.

"Is it your father?" Pansy nodded, and Ginny tightened her grip in sympathy.

"I'm so sorry, Pansy…"

Aurora walked up and sat beside the Hawaiian girl, wrapping her arms around her as well, Blaise following after.

"I know it hurts, but you never have to worry about anything like this again because you have us, and we will never leave you," Aurora said.

"You know, if you want to, I'm sure my parents and family, now that Fred and George are okay with you, won't mind if you came over for the Christmas break," Ginny offered. Pansy sat up at this and wiped her eyes on her sleeves, apologizing for ruining Ginny's shirt. "Oh please, it's just from tears. You didn't ruin it, Pansy."

Pansy smiled. "Thank you for inviting me, but I think I'm going with Draco and Rora because they invited Blaise and I a few months ago. Thank you so much for the invitation, though. I appreciate it."

Ginny smiled at her. "It's alright."

"Do you want to come with us?" Aurora asked Ginny.

"No, I'm sorry but I can't. I have to spend Christmas with my family or they'll kill me. Also, Trinity, Amanda, and Hermione are coming over, so it'll be packed."

"Sounds like fun," Blaise said. Ginny nodded.

"It is. But just so you know, Pansy, Aurora, my offer stands for next year as well. You too, Blaise."

Ginny suddenly grabbed a pillow and threw it at him.

An enormous pillow fight ensued.

* * *

-

* * *

The owls were already swooping down to give out letters and packages when Ginny, Aurora, and Trinity went down to breakfast the next day. They found Amanda, who they had told last night what happened. She was sitting alone, and they sat down with her after realizing that Fred and George were still sleeping.

"Before you say anything, look at this!" Amanda dropped the Hogwarts Weekly in front of them, causing all three of their jaws to drop open, and their eyebrows to raise.

"What the HELL?" Ginny shouted, picking it up and pulling it close to her freckled face. Many people heard her, and some who had gotten the Hogwarts Weekly knew why she shouted in rage.

There, on the front page, was a picture of Her, Blaise, Aurora, and Pansy with her face buried in Ginny's arms walking towards Slytherin with the caption 'Tough-As-Nails Parkinson Isn't So Tough After All.'

_Pansy Parkinson, the sixth year Slytherin we've always known to be hard, strong, and nearly emotionless, seems to actually be a pansy after all. She is seen here crying her poor little heart out on Ginny Weasley's (a Gryffindor) shoulder. Apparently, the littlest Weasley isn't as loyal to Gryffindor as she appears! Aurora Malfoy is seen here as well, along with Blaise Zabini. Zabini and Parkinson, as well as Draco Malfoy, have always been an inseparable three, but Aurora has just recently joined our school and was sorted into Gryffindor. So why is she seen here with Slytherins? _

_Why is Parkinson so upset? She should be happy and proud to be a Slytherin. She has always been strong, and has NEVER cried…in public. What is so awful that she must do so now? Is she looking for attention, finally? Perhaps because she can't get any boyfriends since she is always flanked by Malfoy and Zabini? Who knows?_

_As for Weasley – Aurora may be able to be set aside, since she IS a Malfoy, but Ginny Weasley? Especially since her brother is the infamous Harry Potter's best friend, along with the smartest girl in school. It would not do her well to be seen with Slytherins. _

_Lucy Pallino, sixth year Slytherin._

"What a fucking bitch!" Trinity said. Ginny said nothing, but got up and made her way over to the Slytherin table, where she saw the school's known whore sitting with her little valley girl followers. Trinity, Aurora, and Amanda went after her, but she reached the table before them. However, before she could fully reach the girl, Draco Malfoy flew past her in a brisk, angry walk, surprising her enough to make her stop walking. By this time, the entire Great Hall was watching them.

Lucy looked over at the approaching person, and realized that it was Draco but before she could say anything, he had her standing and pinned to the side wall of the enormous room.

"You will NEVER write blasphemous things about my sister and friends EVER again. Nor will you ever go near them. If you do, you will wish you were never born. Girl or not, I will fuck you up so bad, not even Pomfrey will be able to heal you quickly."

Ginny's eyes widened when he included her in his friends, and her heart gave a little jump.

"Mr. Malfoy! That is ENOUGH!" McGonagall, Snape, and Dumbledore, when they saw Draco walking furiously towards Lucy, had gotten up and practically ran over to where they knew a fight would break out if they did not stop it.

Draco glanced at McGonagall, then looked back at Lucy with a royally pissed off expression on his face. "That wasn't a warning. It was a promise." He walked off, disappearing as he passed through the doors before the professors could say anything else.

"Thank you so much, Professor! Merlin only knows what he could have done to me! He's dangerous, Professor! You should watch him!"

"You are the one we will be watching, Miss Pallino. In two months of detention after two weeks of in school suspension, and you will no longer be in charge of the Hogwarts Weekly. Professor Snape will determine what your punishments during detention will be."

Lucy was shocked. Her mouth fell open and her eyes widened to an almost impossible size. "What about him?"

"I'm afraid that while he was wrong in acting the way he did, he did not act alone. You were the instigator, and so you will be punished more severely. He did not harm you, I am sure of that." Minerva turned to Severus.

"He will do well in a week of detention," Snape said.

"But what about my studies? You can't do this to me!"

"Oh I'm afraid I can. As for your studies…they weren't very good to begin with." Her mouth dropped open even more, and she had nothing more to say.

"Do close your mouth. That expression makes you look like a fish." With that, McGonagall and Dumbledore, with a disappointed twinkle in his eye, walked away while Snape escorted her to the dungeons.

* * *

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**I hope you enjoyed it! And if you're a bit confused - don't worry, things will be explained shortly. And there will be more Draco/Ginny action, and maybe even Harry/Aurora and perhaps Fred/Trinity. :D **


	13. Break Down and Enlightenment

Chapter 13

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter. Just my storyline.

Sorrrrryyyyy for the late update. It's the same old excuse – I'm in college and I have lots of work to do.

Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

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* * *

The way she feels inside

Those thoughts I can't deny

These sleeping dogs won't lie

And now I try to lie

* * *

-

* * *

"Whoa…"

"Eh? Eh? We thought you'd like it."

"Guys, this is awesome," Trinity breathed.

Trinity, Fred, and George were standing at the entrance of the tunnel the twins had found when they first arrived at Hogwarts that year.

"We haven't been able to find out where it ends because there's a cave-in somewhere along it. Might be the middle, might be near the end," Fred said, and George picked up for him.

"All we know is it's a large cave-in. A long portion of the tunnel is completely filled with dirt, stone, and pebbles and such. We're not sure of how much, though." They started walking down the tunnel with their wands out as a source of light.

"Well?"

"Well what?" George asked.

"Are you going to dig or not?"

They smirked. "Way ahead of you, love," George replied. When they reached the block, which was a good twenty minutes into the tunnel, there were mugs and wrappers scattered around as well as two comfy chairs and an enchanted refrigerator.

"Man, you guys have it all planned out, don't you?"

"Indeed, we do," Fred said, sitting in one of the chairs after getting a soda from the fridge and conjuring up a chair for Trinity. The other two sat down as Fred passed them soda, and the twins began to tell her their plans in full.

"So you've explained to me what you plan on doing, but you still haven't told on what you plan on doing with the dirt once it's out. If you don't do something, the ceiling will continue to fall."

"You bring up a fantastic point," said George.

"We are going to cement the floor, walls, and ceiling with a strong cementing charm as we dig," Fred finished.

"That's it? It's not more complicated than that?" They shook their heads. "You've really done your research, I can see."

"Why, thank you for noticing," Fred said.

"Lead the way, Miss Hawethorne," George said jovially, handing her a shovel.

* * *

-

* * *

"I want to show you something."

"Oh? What is it?"

"It's a surprise, Rora."

She pouted. "Aww, you know I hate not knowing something."

Harry laughed, then kissed her. "You will soon. Just be patient and come with me."

"Oh, alright." He took her hand and led her to the third floor study lounge window, where Aurora had been doing homework. Harry had his broom, and a surprise for her, so she was definitely intrigued and her curiosity piqued.

"Close your eyes." She raised an eyebrow at him, as if she was implying he was crazy. "Just do it." She complied.

He opened the large window and motioned for Aurora to climb on his broom behind him. They flew out and Harry closed the window with his wand just before he flew up to the top of the highest tower of Hogwarts, which happened to be the Divination tower. They landed on the slightly slanted roof and Harry told her to open her eyes, enjoying immensely the joy that lit on her face.

"Oh, Harry, it's so beautiful!" she breathed, talking about the view plus the sunset over the lake and the trees beyond it. "I didn't peg you for being such a romantic."

He shrugged and smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, well."

"I love it. Thank you for showing this to me."

"Anything for you." He received a beam from her, then a sensual kiss. "Would you go to the masquerade with me?"

"You have to ask?" She chuckled. "I'm so lucky. Thank you, Harry."

"I feel like the luckiest guy in the world right now, to have someone as amazing as you." Aurora smiled brightly at this. Her heart was pounding, and her cheeks were flushed, though it just made her face look rosy and angelic with the colors of the sunset – reds and golds and the like – shining on them. "Aurora…"

"Yes?"

"I honestly think you are the most beautiful girl I've ever known. Both appearance-wise and as a person." She was in awe at how Harry was talking to her. He always told her she was beautiful, but he never went on like this. "I…I really think I love you." Her eyes widened considerably – she was not expecting this. "I'm sorry…I shouldn't have told you so soon."

He turned from her to look out at the fading light on the horizon. Apparently, he had taken her widened eyes as a sign of shock and fear. She walked up to him and wrapped her arms around him.

"Harry…it may be early, but you can't help your emotions. I was afraid I would slip before you told me…if you ever would. I'm so glad that you did. I love you too, you dolt."

He turned to face her and kissed her deeply. "I just hope your brother will be alright with this…"

"Of course his opinion matters a great deal to me, but he's accepted our relationship so far. He loves me, and he would do anything to make sure I'm happy."

"I know…"

"Harry, if it's Draco you're worried about, I'm scared for us when Lucius breaks out of Azkaban. Really…you'd think the Ministry would have woken up by now and come up with an alternate security source."

"Of course I'm worried about Lucius, I'm just also worried about your brother."

"Draco won't do anything. If he really didn't approve of us, he would have said something to me. Trust me."

Harry smiled and leaned his forehead on hers. "I love you, Aurora."

She beamed. "Me, too."

* * *

-

* * *

"Rora!"

Aurora turned around quickly at the urgent tone in the voice of the person who called her. She had been heading to the Gryffindor common room to drop off her books after studying in the library for four hours. It was Friday, the day after Harry took her up to the top of the Divination tower, and she only had one class in the morning so she decided to finish up some work and start studying for OWLs, even they were still far away.

"Hey, Blaise, what's up?"

"Nothing good. Pansy's having a breakdown, and she needs you. We can only do so much. She needs a girl to comfort her. Draco, Theo, Zack and I have been trying, but nothing's working. You're her best friend…can you come?"

"Of course I can come. Even if I had something else to do, I would come. Where is she?"

"Her room. She started in the common room and wouldn't stop so we took her to her room where she wouldn't be embarrassed by other people seeing her."

"Good, that would really upset her because when she gets like this, she wants to either be alone or have us with her."

They began walking towards the Slytherin dorm, Blaise taking a few of Aurora's books – much to her protest.

"Should I contact Ginny?"

"I don't know…she did help her initially…if you feel it would help, then do it."

Aurora stopped and put her bag down, taking out a sheet of paper. She wrote a short note, charmed it into a flying crane, and sent it on its way by saying "Ginny Weasley." She turned back to Blaise. "Let's go."

Ginny was sitting on her bed practicing her charms homework when there was a knock on her door.

"Come in."

When the door opened, the first thing she saw was a paper crane fly in and make its way to her. She caught it and opened it when a girl from down the hall stuck her head in.

"Sorry to bother you, but I think that crane is for you, and it was bumping into your door, and I didn't know how important it was."

"Thanks." Ginny gave her a warm smile as the girl closed the door and left.

_Ginny,_

_Pansy's having a breakdown, and the guys aren't having any luck. Blaise sought me out to get me to help, and I thought if you weren't busy, you might be able to help, too. If you can, meet me in her room as soon as you can. You know the password to Slytherin._

_Aurora_

Ginny jumped off her bed, shoved her feet in her shoes, and flew out of her room, banging the door shut behind her. She ran all the way to the dungeons, and was panting heavily when she reached the portrait hole.

"Venomtail." The portrait of Salazar's daughter shook her head at her, but opened hesitantly.

"More and more Gryffindors in Slytherin every week. What has this world come to?"

Ginny paid her no mind and ran through the common room, receiving a few odd stares because while the Slytherins were accustomed to Aurora coming in and out, they were certainly not accustomed to anyone else, let alone a Weasley, even though she has been there before. In her haste to get to Pansy, she didn't notice someone follow her.

She knocked on the door once she arrived at her room and it opened, courtesy to Draco, and let her in. The person following Ginny remained hidden in the dark hallway, eavesdropping while he waited.

Bradley Livingston was one of the most hostile Slytherins. He would bully younger students, pull pranks, and talk back to professors without a care in the world. He also hated Gryffindors, especially Weasleys, with such a passion, it cannot be expressed with words. So when he saw the youngest Weasley run through the portrait hole, his anger flared and he had to follow her. He would have a word with the two Slytherin 'princes' about Gryffindors coming in and out of their dorm.

When Ginny walked into the room, she immediately went to Pansy and sat next to her on her bed, wrapping her arms around the older girl.

"Pansy, what's wrong?" When Pansy didn't say anything, she gave a pointed look to the guys and they left the room, not noticing Bradley in the hallway; he had cast a disillusionment charm on himself.

"It's just…what am I gonna do without my dad? He was everything to me." This confession brought about another round of tears, and Ginny's heart clenched. She and Aurora just held her, not pushing anything out of her. It was Aurora who spoke next.

"I can't really relate, so I don't completely understand where you're coming from…I have no good advice to give you, hun, except to try and get through this. You have all of us here with you, and we'd do anything to help you. You know that."

Ginny nodded against Pansy's head, where she was resting it. "I haven't known you for very long but I would do anything for you, Pans. Cheer up, sugar. I know it's hard, believe me I do. But think about what your father would have wanted. Of course I don't know him, but ask yourself – would he really want you to be crying all the time? Not having fun?" Ginny knew she was treading on thin ice by asking that question, but someone had to.

"I…no…"

Ginny let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in anticipation of Pansy's answer. She thought Pansy would lash out at her for assuming she knew Pansy's father, but she didn't.

"It's hard, and the pain might never go away, but it will lessen. Just try to have fun and focus on your studies. If you slip, you'll never forgive yourself," Aurora said.

"I know…I just can't help it. I miss him so much. We had this elaborate plan to escape from my mother, and we were…"

"Don't think about what was going to happen. Think about what you will do now. Dwelling on the past only makes things worse, Pansy. Make new plans, plan out your future. Even thoughts of revenge on your mother might help."

"Rora!"

"What? Ginny, they might not be beneficial, but they help."

"Yeah, well...happy thoughts are what help the most."

Aurora and Ginny got into a glaring contest, and Pansy just shook her head. "It's people like you who really help the most." They looked at her and smiled.

"So are you ready to go to the kitchens and eat strawberries and chocolate?"

Aurora rolled her eyes at Ginny. "You and your sweet tooth."

"Hey, what's that?" Ginny asked, picking her head up and stood still, her right ear facing the door.

"What?" Pansy asked. Then she heard it. Someone was shouting down the hall, then was joined by another. The girls opened the door and walked quickly to where they heard it – the common room, where the other Slytherins had been shooed away. There stood Draco, Blaise, Zack, Theo, and Bradley Livingston, all shouting at each other.

"What the hell is going on?" Ginny asked, nearly shouting herself. They stopped and turned to her.

"This is exactly what I'm talking about," Bradley began. "Gryffindors in Slytherin, thinking they can just do whatever the hell they want. Especially a Wealsey! Vermin have no right to be here. I don't care that the other is your sister, Malfoy. She's a Malfoy in Gryffindor. Nothing but a traitorous whore." He didn't even see the three punches that came flying his way. Three fists collided with his face, sending him to the floor. Theo stood back; he'd fight with his voice, but he didn't like violence.

Draco reached Bradley first, and pulled him up by his shirt. His face was contorted with rage, and he was more furious than he'd ever been. "I know three really good people, and they're all Weasleys. As for my sister - just because she has a different personality and different beliefs than you, Livingston, doesn't make her a traitorous whore. She's in Gryffindor because she belongs there. You disgust me. If you ever go near my sister or my friends, OR her friends ever again, I swear I will make your life miserable and very painful. So I highly suggest that you shut your mother fucking mouth and stay away from us. You're a disgusting worthless piece of shit and you better try your best to never see me again or you will pay dearly." He threw him to the ground, banging his head on the table on his way down and effectively knocking him out.

Aurora took a tentative step towards her brother, loving the way he protected her but also a little wary of his state of mind at the moment. "Draco?" He looked at her and she walked to him, placing a hand on his arm and gently pulling him to the portrait hole. "It's alright, really. I don't care about what people say about me. Please calm down, and come with us to the kitchen. Please?" His eyes softened at her voice, and he nodded.

Ginny knew that Draco was attached and very protective of his sister, but she had a real show of it just now. She was also surprised that he had mentioned her in there, as well. She knew she should still be trying to comfort Pansy…but that show of affection and protectiveness was a huge turn-on for her, and she couldn't stop thinking about him, and how much she admired him. She respected him a great deal, but the scene she just witnessed made that much stronger. All she wanted to do now was throw him on a bed and ravage him until…she had to stop thinking like that. She shook her head and followed them up to the kitchen. Draco lagged behind the group after he saw the hungry look she was giving him, making his stomach catch on fire and his head swell at the fact that he could cause such a reaction out of her.

"I know that look," he whispered.

She looked up at him and shook her head. "What are you on about?"

"I think you know very well what I'm on about."

"I think you're going to have to enlighten me."

"Perhaps tonight I'll be waiting in my room after dinner to enlighten you." He smirked as she faltered for a moment, put his hands in his pockets, and walked back up to Blaise, who was walking ahead of everyone else. Ginny hurried to catch up with Pansy and Aurora.

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**I'm sorry I didn't put the scene in here. I wanted to wait for another chapter ; ) sorry. But it will make the next chapter longer, therefore making it better : D Please review, and tell me what you think of the story so far. Suggestions are also welcome! There is a big plot turn coming up, and you will see what it is very soon, I promise. Thank you for reading!**


	14. Pleasure of Impatience

Chapter 14: Pleasure of Impatience

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter of the All American Rejects. Just my characters and this story line.

Thanks SOOO much to Ami-chan for all of her help!

I have something to say. I love reviews, and I do like receiving constructive criticism, but honestly – this story calls for OOC-ness. Draco doesn't really have a sister in the books, but I guarantee that if he did, no matter how evil or nice she would be, he would love her and protect her. I don't see the characters in my story as OOC because it's my story, and in my story, they're not OOC. I'm sorry if you (general/whoever feels that way) think so, but it's fanfiction. Fanfiction is fiction. I know that Harry Potter is already fiction, but this is fanfiction, which means I can do whatever I want. As for characters like Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson, they are portrayed in my stories as how I see them, how I would like to see them. My stories aren't based on the books. They're based on the fanfiction world. Would Draco Malfoy from the books really be sweet and caring to Ginny Weasley? Would he go near her? Fall in love with her? I don't think so.

Well, I've had my say. Sorry if I sound angry. I'm not. A little annoyed, maybe. Again, I'm sorry of any of you feel that way – that my characters are OOC. They are portrayed as I view them. If they are too out of character for you, don't read it. If they're not, great! I'm glad that people love or at least like my story. It makes me very happy.

Here's the next chapter. Thank you all for reviewing and telling me how you feel about my story, even if you think a lot of it is OOC. : )

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These sleeping dogs won't lie

And now I try to lie

It's eating me apart

Trace this life back

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After finally managing to slip away unnoticed by the others after dinner, which wasn't too far after the strawberries and chocolate from the kitchen, Ginny made her way to the head students' dorm before Hermione, who was still sitting at dinner with Harry and Ron.

"Hey," Draco said as she walked into his room. He got off his bed and walked over to her, kissing her senseless.

"Hi…" she breathed, making him chuckle. They started out with their usual sensual discarding of clothes, and she half noticed that his concealment charm was on because she couldn't see any scars on his back. Draco raised her shirt above her head as she lifted her arms so he could get it off her. She did the same, taking extra care to run her nails up his sides and arms, causing him to shudder. His eyes blazed with fire as he slid her bra straps off her shoulders and unclasped the back, very slowly slipping it off as if to tease her. She reached for his jeans and unzipped them as slowly as she could, letting her fingers touch him lightly as she did so.

Once she got them off, she reached for his boxers but he pushed her against the wall near the bathroom door, kissing her senseless. He then undid the button on her jeans and suddenly she realized that somehow, the zipper came undone in the process and the pants were pooled at her feet. She stepped out of them and tugged on his underwear, gently sliding her fingers down his hips until she let go of the thin article of clothing, letting it drop to the floor.

She thought they were making their way to his bed, but she was in for a surprise that night. Once they were both nude, he cast the contraceptive charm on her abdomen and led her to the large bathroom, not unlike the one she used in Hermione's room when he caught her a few months back when he was looking for the older girl. They slammed into the wall next to the door, furiously kissing each other while Draco fumbled for the doorknob, both of them unable to think clearly due to the friction of their bodies being pressed so tightly together.

He was finally able to get it open and led her inside, closing it clumsily after. But before he could turn the water on in the bath tub, she took hold of him and began to stroke him gently, making him completely incapable of doing or saying anything at all. She was driving him insane; she would go slowly and gently, then she would grip him harder as her strokes became faster. He growled and leaned in to bite her neck, causing her to freeze and loosen her grip on him.

"Stop teasing me, Red."

At this, she only grinned, and pulled away from him so that he could start the water. He then helped her into the small pool-sized porcelain tub – which was actually quite large – and they continued while the warm water slowly reached them. It began to rise, gently washing over their bodies.

"Draco…"

He grinned at the erotic sound of his name. "What?"

She sighed in frustration and want. "Please…"

"Tell me what you want," he said as he lifted himself above her, fire in both of their eyes.

"You," she whispered, and he, feeling slightly sadistic, decided to tease her, no matter what it was doing to him. At least he got the satisfaction of doing to her what she had done to him. He gently slid into her to the hilt, causing them both to moan in immense pleasure. Then he nearly pulled out, and pushed back into her as slowly as he could go, watching in satisfaction as she writhed beneath him, clinging to his back with her hands and digging her nails into his skin, though not hard enough to draw blood. He nearly pulled out again, and pushed in even slower this time, making the slightly steaming water move up across Ginny's breasts and down again, and he shuddered at the sight.

"Draco, _please_." Her voice was husky and insistent, but no matter how much he wanted to just ravage her, he wanted to make sure that she felt the pleasure of impatience he felt when she teased him earlier.

The water was now at the level of Ginny's shoulders, almost to her neck, and it covered her breasts, so what Draco pulled just a few minutes before could not be done again. However, the water moving over her silky freckled skin was still tantalizing; he needn't watch only her breasts and her beautiful face.

He continued his ministrations while biting and nipping at her neck, and pressing his body against hers, watching her bloody hair fan out in the water like a mermaid's. They were leaning against the back of the tub, which slanted so that one could sit and lean back, and the water was now up to her chin. To make things interesting and more pleasurable than just simply moving her, he planted his hands firmly on the bottom and thrust into her suddenly, surprising her by the intense pleasure she felt by it as well as realizing that she was nearly halfway out of the water, now.

He pulled out after a few more of these and turned her over so that she was sitting on his lap, and slowly lowered herself onto him, also moving at a slow pace. It was her turn, now, to tease him, and if anyone knew how to tease, it was Ginny Weasley, even without much experience before Draco.

"You think you're smart by getting back at me. Well now, you are in for it."

"Oh am I?"

He shivered, betraying his confident voice and wishing she would just ride him faster. "Mm-hm."

As she moved with him, both creating a rhythm, the water rippled and sloshed against her back, as well as his waist and chest. Her knees pressed against the back of the sloped porcelain, but she didn't feel any pain, for she was concentrating on the perfection that was Draco. She reached down as she braced herself with one arm against the back of the tub next to Draco's shoulder and gently took hold of the part of his package that was not being ridden at the moment, not wanting to neglect any part of him. She leaned down to kiss him as he leaned his head back and closed his eyes, never before experiencing the waves that moved through him from a woman touching him there.

"Gods, Ginny…" She only smirked as she bit his neck particularly hard, causing him to emit a groan. He hissed and suddenly sat up and turned her over so that she was on her hands and knees. He positioned himself behind her and pushed in, though this time, since he could not hold back any longer, his thrusts were at a faster pace. The water was now up to his waist, as he was kneeling, and it caressed her back and shoulders as it was jostled roughly by their actions. He leaned over her back and whispered into her right ear. "You are…amazing." He gripped her shoulders and used them to pull himself in harder.

She was coming very close to her orgasm, and he could feel it. He was holding back so that she could experience it either first or at the same time as him, but before he could finish with her, she surprised him yet again, and pulled away from him, standing to face him. He stood with her, not being able to take his eyes and hands off of her. She walked to the side of the small pool and slightly into the deeper end, so that now, the water was up to her breasts and his upper waist, almost to his chest. He pinned her against the wall and slid into her. The water flowed over the sides of the pool and into the drains on the floor. She wrapped her arms around him – one hand on his back near his shoulders, and the other right above his behind. He didn't let up, and she gripped him harder as she came closer, digging her nails in and pushing on his lower back as if to push him in even further.

She came first and he followed right after, both panting and gasping for breath. They held each other up, both too spent to do it on their own. They slowly made it to the shallower end of the tub and nearly collapsed against the slanted back in each other's arms. After about ten minutes, Draco sat up and reached for the shampoo. Dabbing some into his palm, he gently massaged it into Ginny's hair. She leaned into him, her back to his chest, as he sensually washed her hair.

"Close your eyes," came his deep, soothing voice. She did what he said, and felt warm water wash over her head as he rinsed the shampoo out, followed by conditioner. He had long since shut off the water, so, because they were sitting, it came up to their chests. His hands made their way down her head to her neck, then down her sides, causing her to shudder in pleasure and anticipation. They reached across her to caress her breasts, loving the feel of her soft skin. She absolutely loved what he was doing, partly because her eyes were closed and she had no idea what he was going to do next.

As he let the conditioner sit and do its work, he dragged his fingers down her body and over her thighs, tracing circles on them and coming close to touching her where he had teased earlier, but bypassed it and his hands went up her stomach and cupped her breasts again. She sighed and shivered again, still keeping her eyes closed. He apparently decided that the conditioner was in her hair long enough, because she felt the warm water rinse it out again.

"Lean back," he said gently. She did so, and while he held her in place, he thoroughly got all of the soap out, then helped her sit up again. She opened her eyes when she felt him move around her, and looked straight into his normally intense gray ones – but at the moment, they were soft, and it seemed that he didn't realize this change. Ginny did notice how gentle he was being, but she didn't say anything in fear that he would change back to his usual self.

He was massaging her shoulders and back when she spoke. "Aren't you going to wash your hair?"

"Yes, but while I have you with me, that is impossible since I can't take my hands off you."

Her heart soared, but she ignored it and played it off as being aroused by what he said. So she decided to tease him some more. She stood up, giving him a perfect view of her naked body, and walked to the edge of the tub. She pulled herself out and walked across the bathroom, grabbing a fluffy towel and leaving the steamy room.

Draco just shook his head and sighed; he was aroused again, and she wasn't there to help him with it.

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That Saturday, towards the end of lunch, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were talking about their future jobs…and of course Ron was being irrational, as usual.

"Ronald, you can't just _become_ an Auror. You need to have Outstandings on certain exams! Then you have to go to University, and then and _only_ then can you train to be an Auror."

By this point, Ron had his head on the table, his eyes glazed over.

"Whyyyy? Why does it take so much to be an Auror?" he whined.

"Because it's a very serious job that requires physical and mental training. Stop whining and start studying and doing your work. I will only help you sometimes. Do your own work."

"But Hermione…"

"Enough. Do it yourself. You have to earn the title of an Auror." She stood and grabbed her bag from the floor behind her. "I have to go. I'll see you two later."

"Where are you going?" Harry asked. She sighed.

"I have to set up the last of the plans for the masquerade with Draco." She glared at Ron when he scrunched up his face – he still hated that she called Malfoy by his name.

"Can you…"

"No I will NOT tell Ginny to come back over here. You as her brother should be happy for her that she has found a great group of friends. They care for her and make her laugh, as well as protect her. YOU need to let it go." She turned to Harry. "Bye, Harry."

"See you later," Harry said. She waved at him and walked to the Slytherin table.

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"So how long before dinner should we meet in the kitchen?" Ginny asked Pansy.

"I don't know. You guys should figure that out. I'll be in my room because I have some work to catch up on. Oh! I almost forgot to tell you! Do you know what's going on after the masquerade next Saturday?"

"No, no one told me."

"Or me!" Aurora chimed in. Trinity came into the Great Hall at this point, and Ginny and Aurora waved her over.

"What's up?" the taller girl asked.

"Well apparently there's something going on after the Halloween masquerade, and we weren't informed," Ginny explained. Trinity's eyes widened and she sat between her friends.

"You don't know? I heard about it three weeks ago."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Aurora asked. "Not everyone is as good as getting information like you, Trin."

"Can I tell them?" Trinity asked Pansy.

"No. They're only my best friends. Why on Earth would I invite them?"

Trinity narrowed her eyes playfully at Pansy, then turned to her friends. "There is a big party in the Room of Requirement held by the Slytherins, and you can only get in by invitation. Only people who can be trusted to not ever say anything about it to anyone else are invited."

Ginny looked a little uneasy. "What Gryffindors that I know well are invited?"

Pansy took out the list from her bag and read off the names from Gryffindor. "You, Fred, George, Aurora, Trinity, Harry, Hermione, Ron because the previous two said he can be trusted to keep his mouth shut when it comes to something like this…Amanda, Neville, Seamus, Dean. A few others but we haven't figured out the full list, yet. Ginny? What's wrong?"

"Dean was invited?" Her face was whiter than normal, and she looked shocked, but all of a sudden, her expression became furious. Draco remembered when he asked her a few months ago if she was a virgin, and she said no with an angry look on her face. He connected that with her reaction whenever someone mentions Dean Thomas around her. And then it dawned on him. He remembered a bit of information he heard last year from a conversation between two Gryffindors in the library – that Dean and Ginny had dated for a while until she suddenly and explosively broke up with him, and went around sulking for weeks after, crying at random until it finally stopped.

Draco then swore to himself that he would find out what happened, either from his sources or from Ginny, and deal with the bastard himself.

"He wasn't invited yet, he's just on the list. Why?" Pansy asked.

"He cannot be trusted. He is a dirty rotten scumbag who deserves nothing but to rot in Hell."

"Okay…I won't invite him, then."

"Thanks…"

Pansy smiled at Ginny to reassure her, and they dropped it.

"So what time are we meeting in the kitchen?" Trinity asked in an attempt to change the subject, knowing the story of Ginny and Dean. Aurora, Hermione, and Amanda knew it, too, but they were the few who knew the truth.

"Is six alright for you?" Ginny asked, her previous anger supposedly forgotten. The tension everyone felt had dissipated.

"Six is fine. Shall I tell your dear brothers?"

Ginny chuckled. "Sure, if you see them before I do. How about for you guys?" she asked, addressing the others. They agreed – six o'clock in the kitchen.

"Great. I'll be seeing Fred for help in trig in a little bit. I'll tell him then –" Trinity was about to say more, but Ginny cut her off.

"Ssshh! Hermione's coming over here! Talk about Hogsmeade weekend."

"Ginny, that's in two weeks!" Pansy said hurriedly.

"Just do it!" the redhead whispered harshly. "There's nothing else to talk about!"

"The masquerade, Gin…" Aurora said, shaking her head.

"Oh yeah! So what are you going as?"

Aurora gave her a narrow-eyed look. "You already know."

"I'm making conversation, Rora."

"Hey, what are you guys up to?"

"Oh, hi Mione," Ginny said, smiling. "Not much, just the masquerade. You?"

"Not much. Draco, I need to talk to you about the last minute preparations." He nodded, finished his last bite of mashed potatoes, and got up, waving a goodbye to everyone at that side of the table. "I'll see you girls later for dinner?"

"I'm skipping dinner because I have too much work to do," Ginny said easily. Aurora and Trinity nodded at this.

"So do we," Trinity said. "We're going to probably go to the library or room of requirement so no one bothers us. Tomorrow night?" Hermione nodded, smiled, and walked out of the Great Room, Draco in tow with his hands in his pockets and his sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

"Alright, well, I'm going to go do some of that work I lied about." Ginny stood and picked up her bag, Aurora and Trinity following her. They waved to the dwindling group of Slytherins, and walked away.

"See you tonight," Ginny said from over her shoulder."

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**I'm so sorry that I haven't updated for a long time. I have so many papers and two presentations to write for the end of the semester – some tiny, but others big. I promise to get to writing more, especially since I need breaks from doing so much work. I hope you liked this chapter! The next chapter will be coming shortly. I'm starting to write it right now, actually. Ginny being "sexified." ;) Please review!**


	15. Possible New Romance and New Information

Chapter 15 – A Possible New Romance and New Information

Thank you for the amazing reviews I got! I really appreciate them!

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It's eating me apart

Trace this life back

I'll keep you my dirty little secret

(Dirty little secret)

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Blaise walked into the Slytherin common room later that afternoon, wiping sweat from his forehead and taking off his sweater; he hadn't anticipated the castle being so hot that day. He noticed movement on the corner of the room and looked up, seeing his girlfriend Anne walk out of the corridor in which her room is located - the Slytherin common room was round, and had corridors with doorways shooting from it all around it with the exception of the portrait hole.

When Anne saw him, her face lit up. "Blaise!"

"Hey," he said tiredly.

"I haven't seen you in a few days…how have you been? Are you alright?"

"I'm alright, I'm sorry. I haven't been paying a lot of attention to you lately, huh?"

Her face fell and she looked to the side, playing with her hands. "No…but that's okay, I know you're busy."

"No, it's not okay. You're my girlfriend, Anne. You're one of my top priorities. I'm sorry…" He looked sheepish, and upset that he made her feel anything but happy.

She smiled at him, though, and walked up to him. "We both have a lot to deal with, Blaise. I understand." She kissed him gently and he wrapped his arms around her.

"I don't deserve you."

"Because I'm understanding?" She laughed at this. "Blaise, you deserve a lot more than you think you do."

"You're too good to me, Anne." He hugged her tightly, but gently. "I'm going to shower, then I have potions and trig homework to do. Will I see you at dinner?"

"Sure," she said, smiling. She watched Blaise walk away from her down a corridor to the right to his room, and wondered how long their relationship would last before she got too lonely.

Pansy had watched the scene from the shadows, slipping away when Blaise walked past the hallway her room was located in. She had a frown on her face, her eyes sad as she walked back to her room.

'_Dad…you would know what to do, you would help me, give me advice…I miss you so much.'

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Blaise looked up when he heard a knock on his door. He had already taken his shower and was now lounging on his bed writing his potions essay.

"Come in." The door opened and Draco stepped in, letting himself drop to the couch after closing the door behind him. "Hey, man, you okay?" Blaise asked..

"Yeah."

"What's up? You look like shit."

"Thanks."

"Draco, spill."

"Greengrass won't lemme 'lone about the masquerade." His voice was muffled because he still had his face in the cushion.

"Yeah, she's like that. Why don't you just say no?"

"You don't think I've tried?"

"Then tell her you're going with someone already."

"But I'm not."

"…You're Draco Malfoy. You can get a date for the ball whenever you want to. If you put up a post on the bulletin board outside the Great hall saying you're looking for a date, you'll get a hundred girls flocking to you." Draco threw one of the pillows from the couch at the sound of Blaise's voice, but he apparently missed. "Nice throw." Draco looked up to see where the pillow landed – about five feet from the bed. His head flopped back to the couch, now sideways.

"Shut up."

"Why not go with Pansy?"

The door suddenly opened to reveal the girl in question. "Go with Pansy where?" she asked. "And what am I being sold to?"

"The masquerade," Blaise answered. "Haven't you ever heard of knocking?"

"Why should I knock when you're talking about me? And when I haven't knocked in years? And why should Draco go with me to the ball?"

"Because Greengrass won't leave me the fuck alone," Draco said, clearly still annoyed.

"Oh, yeah, she was just talking about going with you in the common room. She's very excited." Pansy smirked as Draco made a highly frustrated noise, pushed himself up off the couch, and walked over to Pansy, grabbing her hands.

"Pansy Parkinson, will you go to the Halloween masquerade with me?"

"Why Draco darling, I thought you'd never ask."

He let go of her hands. "Good. It's settled, then." He promptly left the room and stalked over to the common room, Blaise cracking up the entire time. "GREENGRASS!" At this, Blaise and Pansy shared a look back in the room and both of them snorted. They could hear Draco yelling all the way from the other room. "Stop telling people you're going to the ball with me! Get it through your head – I do not like you, and I am not going with you. You're an annoying waste of my time! I am going with Pansy!"

"PARKINSON?"

"Yes, Pansy! End of story." He turned and swiftly walked back to Blaise's room, Daphne stumbling behind him, screeching her curly brunette head off.

"How COULD you? I thought I was going with you!"

"And when did I ever say that?"

"I…you…how can you go with that whore?"

Draco spun around to face her when he opened the door, a shocked Blaise and Pansy staring at them, still trying to not laugh. Draco's eyes were filled with an icy rage that made Daphne take a cautious step back.

"You will _never_ call Pansy anything like that again." His voice was calm but furious, and Daphne knew she had overstepped her boundary. "She is more of a woman than you will ever be. She knows respect, she knows discipline, she knows politeness, and she's beautiful. I am not going to the masquerade with you. I am going with her." He slammed the door in her face without so much as a goodbye. When he turned to face his two friends, they applauded him but he just shook his head, making his way back to the sofa.

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"So this adds up to this?"

Amanda nodded. "But remember, you have a remainder, so you have to factor that in as well."

"I'm hopeless with math…that's why I have Fred."

"No you're not. Look at all the problems you've done, George. You're getting it."

"You helped me with those."

"But you still did them. I didn't do them for you." The brunette smiled softly at her friend, who smiled back.

They were seated in one of the study corners of the large library in front of a window looking out at the land behind the castle, and a part of the Forbidden Forest.

"Thanks for being such a great friend."

Amanda shrugged and smiled. "You're one of my best friends, why wouldn't I be?"

George put his pencil down; the wizarding world couldn't possibly use quills and ink for mathematical classes, for there would be too many cross-outs and blots everywhere. "You're really special to me."

Amanda blushed lightly. "Why?"

"Because while I wasn't in love with Aurora in the beginning of the year, I had a crush on her and when Harry got to her first, I was upset. Fred knew, and left me alone, gave me my space because he knew I needed it. But no one bothered to sit down with me and make me forget about it. No one else refused to go away when I told them to. I know I was being foolish, being so worked up over a silly crush, but it still mattered when you made the effort. I never really thanked you for that."

Amanda smiled brightly. "I wanted to be your friend, and I hate seeing people unhappy."

"You don't give yourself enough credit."

"I don't have any credit to give. I'm just myself."

"Well you're a wonderful person."

Amanda's heart fluttered as they shared a look. George then realized just how much he wanted to kiss her, but he was so afraid of ruining their friendship. She was his best friend, other than his twin, sister, and Lee Jordan, and he would do anything to not lose her. He leaned forward subconsciously and saw a pretty blush form on her cheeks, causing him to gain confidence. He leaned further and his heart soared when she leaned in towards him, about to close the distance between them when they were abruptly interrupted.

"George!" George and Amanda jumped apart, both now blushing furiously. "George!"

"What?" George snapped. "I'm over here!"

Fred and Trinity suddenly appeared, walking around a large book case to the couch chairs and tables – one of the small study areas of the library.

"Georgie, you shouldn't yell like that. Pincie will come over and reprimand you."

Well, at least Fred was in a good mood. Trinity noticed the blushes on both of their faces, and put two and two together. She smirked and developed the beginnings of a plan in her mind.

"Pince needs to get that stick out of her arse. What did you want me for?"

"Well, Trinity told me some news that we haven't heard about yet." George's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "I know. Amazing, isn't it? Also, she came bearing news from Gin-Gin about tonight."

"Oh?"

"Gin said we should meet her in the kitchens at six. About the information we somehow missed out on…Malfoy went off on Daphne Greengrass in the Slytherin Common room. He really defaced her, and everyone is talking about it now. It happened today, but I thought we'd be the first to know. She also told us about that party…you know…_after the masquerade_," he whispered. "But we already knew about that."

"Alright, thanks. What are you two up to?"

"Just walking around, you know, the usual. Causing mischief, eavesdropping, etcetera," Trinity said.

"Without me?" George asked. "I feel so unloved."

"Well you're holed up in this musty library with this gorgeous brunette. I wouldn't want to disturb you." Trinity smirked when the George and Amanda blushed in unison.

"I was just helping him with his homework," Amanda stated shyly.

"Of course. Anyway, I really must be going. Fred and I will leave you two to whatever it was you were doing. Ta-ta!" She took Fred's hand and they walked out of there, Fred protesting.

"But I wanted to hang out with them," he said with a slight pout.

"Idiot. Can't you see? They want to be alone."

"Alone? Why?"

Trinity sighed and shook her head, her black hair swaying and attracting the stare of Fred. She reached up and started twirling the purple strand as she explained the situation.

"When we went in and saw them, they were both flustered. Then, when I mentioned that I didn't want to disturb them, they blushed again. Get it now? My guess is they had been either close to kissing or actually did. I'll pry that information from Amanda later."

"They like each other?"

Trinity patted Fred's arm. "I'm so glad you're more perceptive than Ron."

"Hey!"

She grinned and they walked in silence until they reached the Gryffindor portrait hole.

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"Miss Weezy!"

"Hi, Dobby. How are you?"

"Dobby is well! How is you being? And friends?"

"We are well, thank you. I'm sorry for bringing so many people to the kitchens…but we aren't going to dinner because we have things to do. I hope that isn't too much trouble for you."

Dobby was bubbling with excitement; of course he didn't mind. He loved doing things for Ginny; she was his next favorite person after Harry.

"Of course I isn't minding! What can Dobby get for Miss Weezy and friends?"

"Well, we were just hoping to have a private dinner tonight. I would walk into the kitchen myself if I knew where things were…do you think you could get us a few things?"

"Of course! Dobby will be right back! Have seats. Can Dobby get you drinks?"

"Water, please," Ginny said. Trinity and Amanda seconded that, and Aurora, Fred, and George asked for pumpkin juice. Dobby hurried into the kitchen as fast as his little legs could carry him, throwing open the swinging doors on his way.

"So what's the plan again? I don't think I was fully informed," Amanda asked.

"After this, we're going to split up and meet at the Head Students' portrait hole," Aurora said.

"I know the password because Hermione gave it to me, and we'll sneak inside in case Hermione's still there," Ginny added.

"I like it," Fred said.

"Simple, and effective," said George.

"Yet sneaky and mischievous," his twin replied.

"I'm only the best." She smirked.

"Correction, you _learned_ from the best," George said.

Ginny snorted and rolled her eyes, but she didn't argue. She sat down at the table across from Aurora and noticed that her friend had a sad face on. "What's wrong?"

Aurora's light blue eyes were the only part of her that moved to look at Ginny. Her head stayed in place, resting on her arms on the table.

"Nothing."

"Rora, tell me. You're upset about something."

The blonde sighed. "I just…don't like doing things behind Harry's back, that's all."

"Rora…you didn't have to agree to this, but you seemed really enthusiastic about it. Besides, it's not like you're doing anything horrible."

"Yeah, you're just helping her get sexified," Trinity said. "Not that she needs it." Ginny smiled in her direction, but didn't want to be sarcastic because she knew that Aurora wasn't feeling too great at the moment.

"It's not that…it's not telling him about it."

"When did you two become so close?" Ginny asked gently.

"We've always been close. We are open with each other, and tell each other everything. We can talk about anything, even our futures, and we don't get scared or run away. He…he told me he loved me a little while ago."

"Really? Today?"

Aurora shook her head. "No. A week or two ago, maybe. More or less. It's just a fun little revenge plot. I'm being silly, I'm sorry."

"No you're not," Ginny said, her heart wrenched. All she and Draco did was have sex. They cared about each other and they both saw the other as part of their groups, but they had nothing close to a relationship. Maybe a friendship. Why? Why couldn't that happen? Would it be so hard? But then, he does defend her. Ginny didn't know if that meant anything or not, or if he just included her in the list of people he defends just because she's there. At that moment, she felt very alone. She had always been paranoid with relationships and scared that no one would ever end up loving her. This only intensified last year with the situation with Dean…she didn't want to think about that. She has always wanted a family of her own, but she was so scared when she got into relationships, and screwed them up because what is really fear comes off as clingy and desperate to most other guys.

"Ginny?"

"Huh?" Ginny was brought out of her thinking, to realize that Aurora had said something to her. "What? Sorry, I went off into space there." But Fred and George knew right away when Ginny's happiness faded from her face. They could always tell when she was the least bit unhappy. Aurora, Trinity, and Amanda shared a concerned look, but they didn't know Ginny as well as her brothers did. They knew her best.

"I said let's just eat and do this. I know I'm being stupid, but I really want to get back at Ron. I know that Harry is not liking him too much at the moment. Hermione, too, but we really shouldn't tell them because they still might tell Ron what's going on. So, I'm really fine with it I guess; I just had to get that out, and realize that this isn't important. It isn't like it's top secret." She chuckled and nudged Ginny's arm from across the table, causing her to smile.

"Alright. I'm sorry you felt that way, though. Even for a little while. But Merlin, Rora! I'm so happy for you and Harry!" Aurora shrugged, indicating that it was nothing, then beamed when Ginny said she was happy for her. Just then, Dobby and a few other house elves came through the swinging door to the kitchens with food and drinks for all of them.

"Thank you so much, Dobby," Aurora said. The little house elf grinned from ear to ear, pleased that he made her and the others happy. As they ate, they joked and laughed, and the twins told them about the passageway and the progress on it.

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**Thank you again for your wonderful reviews! I love writing this story, so when I get awesome reviews, it makes me really happy. I hope you all liked this chapter. I know it wasn't very exciting, but that's because I needed some fillers, and it was supposed to be one chapter but it turned out to be way too long, so I had to cut it. The second half of this chapter is chapter 16, which is half done. I look forward to your reviews!**


	16. Sexified

Chapter 16 – "Sexified"

Thank you all for your wonderful reviews! I absolutely loved them! D Here is the next chapter (well, technically Chapter 15 part 2 but whatever). I hope you all enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

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I'll keep you my dirty little secret

(Dirty little secret)

Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret

(Just another regret)

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"Winterberry," Ginny said when they reached the Head Students' dorm.

The portrait hole opened, and Ginny snuck inside, making sure that Hermione was nowhere to be found. She then motioned for the others to follow but to stay at the portrait hole while she went over to the portrait of Salazar Slytherin and whispered Draco's password so that they couldn't hear it. When it opened, they walked across the large common room and followed her up it, Salazar making a fuss about Gryffindors being near Slytherins, but Draco had explained to him earlier that friends of his friends were coming, and made the portrait swear not to tell Hermione. When this happened, Salazar had scoffed, and promptly said that he would never talk to that mudblood. With this, Draco was satisfied, and he had gone back up to his room.

When Ginny reached the top of the stairs, she knocked on the door and smirked at Draco when he opened it, causing him to shake his head and let them all in. _'She should have been in Slytherin.'_

"Hey, Gin," Pansy greeted.

Ginny smiled and sat next to her. "Hi! Hi Blaise, Zack."

Zack merely nodded and went back to whatever it was he was writing. He didn't really want to be there when Pansy and Weasley were doing 'girl stuff,' but he wanted to hang out with Draco and Blaise, so he tagged along anyway. He and Ginny still didn't get along very well, but better than they used to. He had respect for her, but that didn't mean he had to be her best friend. So was his philosophy.

"So, you ready to sexify my sister?" Fred asked, smirking.

Ginny scoffed at him and Blaise grinned. "I'm so glad people are using my word!"

They rolled their eyes and a few of them laughed.

"Not that I NEED to be sexified. Gothified, maybe."

"Oh Gin, come now. You're already secthay. We're just making you…more so."

Ginny threw a pillow at Blaise, who fell over laughing after it bounced off his head. She couldn't help a grin that was forming on her face, so she turned around to face Pansy, who pushed her long hair over her shoulder to rest on her back so that it wouldn't get in the way.

"Alright, so I packed up clothes I don't wear anymore, plus some makeup and even hair dye, if you decide you want to change your hair color." Ginny grabbed onto her red waves with fear on her face just as Draco's eyes widened enough to make him look like an owl.

"WHAT?" she squeaked.

"Pansy, she doesn't need to change her hair…don't you think that's going a bit overboard?"

"Draco, darling, I merely brought it just in case she wanted to. Why? Do I suspect that Draco Malfoy _likes_ the color of a Weasley's hair?"

The people in the room snickered except for Draco, who looked horrified, and Zack, who just didn't care.

"She doesn't have carrot-colored hair. At least she has a tasteful color. Don't think for one second that I am in love with it," he said, trying to cover his real feelings on the matter. He then narrowed his eyes at Pansy, who laughed and expanded the shrunken chest that had the supplies in it.

"Alright, no dye. You all can dig through and have a look. Pick out things for her and lay them on the bed for her to choose," Pansy said, addressing the entire room.

"Ohh, Gin! How about this one?" George said, holding up a pink tank top with silver studs on the bottom seam. Ginny wrinkled her face and threatened to throw a pillow at him, after which he laughed and put it to the side as a 'no.'

Ginny sifted through the makeup while her friends were "deciding" on what she should wear, even though she hated makeup. She did like eyeliner every now and then, and she looked killer with it. She looked beautiful without it, but she didn't realize that, nor did she really care. Pansy spotted her looking at the eyeliner, and went over to her to point out the one that was blackest and went on best. Ginny smiled and walked into the bathroom for better light and a bigger mirror.

"If any of you find something you like, by all means, help yourself," Pansy said, addressing the girls.

"Thanks," Trinity said, clearly surprised. She had, indeed, found a shirt she wanted, but did not want to say anything because she didn't think that Pansy would let her keep it. She couldn't wear any of Pansy's pants because the older girl was shorter than her, but the shirts were fair game. Trinity smiled to herself. Pansy's younger self had nearly the same style Trinity had now, so anything Ginny or anyone else didn't want, she would take. Unless they didn't fit, of course.

"Hey, where's Red?"

They all looked up at the nonchalant question.

"Oh yeah, where is she?" Amanda asked.

"She's in the bathroom using the mirror," Pansy answered. Draco made a huge stink. He stood up and stalked over to the door of his bathroom, raging mad.

"RED! YOU'D BETTER GET OUT OF THERE!"

"Draco!" Pansy scolded. "What's wrong with her using your mirror?"

"Because it's MY personal bathroom, and she isn't allowed in it. WEASLEY! Don't make me come in there!" He gave the girl little chance to respond and walked into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him, leaving a very confused room. When he saw her, she was standing near the door, for the mirror was all along the wall, and she needn't have gone far to see what she was doing. She had finished applying her eyeliner, and was already staring in shock at the door, which was now closed and Draco stood in front of it.

"Wha…?"

But she didn't have time to ask him about the reason for his outburst. He walked up to her, all traces of the fake anger gone from his face. He pushed her lightly against the sink so that she did not hurt her back, and kissed her soundly.

"Oh." She chuckled. "So this is the reason for your 'anger.'"

"Mm-hm," he mumbled against her mouth. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed himself against her.

"Draco?" came Pansy's muffled voice in the other room. "Draco! What the hell is going on?"

"I SAID it's MY bathroom and you do not belong in it!"

"I HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO BE HERE! I WAS INVITED, AFTER ALL! Besides, what other mirror would I use?" Ginny smirked and he kissed her again, more hungrily this time.

"Oh for goodness sakes, just let her use the damn mirror!" came Aurora's voice.

Draco sighed, and whispered into Ginny's ear, making her entire body shudder.

"I guess we'll have to finish this later." He pulled away reluctantly and left the bathroom. At the open door, he looked back at her and put on his angry face. "Fine, use the mirror but nothing else. I have things in there that are personal and I don't want you snooping!"

"Oh don't you worry your prissy little head about that. I have no intention of snooping. I might find some weird stuff I don't even want to think about," Ginny called.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Pansy asked. Fred and George didn't know what was going on, the girls were just shocked and confused, and Blaise was wondering what the hell just happened. Zack didn't care, and kept reading his magazine.

"Well, I had things in there that are personal, like I said. I didn't want her snooping around and finding them, now did I? The guys in the room can at least understand that." He smirked and Fred and George calmed down. "You should, too," he said to the girls. "Girls always freak when guys look through their bags."

The girls shook their heads and went back to what they were doing, except Trinity, who couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling that something wasn't right with what just happened. She couldn't figure out why Draco, who had so easily accepted Ginny into his group, just showed hostility towards her. She shook her head, finally, and pushed it aside – for now.

Ginny came out moments later, and everyone forgot what had just happened between her and Draco. She was already a stunning girl, but the eyeliner brought out the gold in her brown eyes. Even Zack's eyes widened considerably when he managed to look up from his magazine.

"Wow," Blaise said. "You really clean up well!"

Ginny chuckled. "It's just eyeliner, Blaise. I do wear it sometimes."

"Eyeliner will be eyeliner!" She just shook her head at what was yet another one of his sentences that made no sense to anyone but him, and made her way over to the trunk of clothes, which was now empty and the clothes were strewn all over the floor nearby.

"Gin-bug, you're making us proud!" Fred said. Ginny rolled her eyes at her brother, but smiled in spite of herself.

"Ginny, you look absolutely stunning," Trinity said, smirking.

Ginny smiled and gave a smirk of her own. "Why thank you, Trin. You don't look to bad yourself." Trinity threw a piece of clothing at her and she caught it, laughing. When she finally realized what it was, her eyes widened. "Whoa…Pansy, why on Earth are you giving this away?" she asked.

"I have no use for it anymore, but believe me, it got its fair share when I did wear it."

It was a short black pleated skirt with a thin layer of black lace lining the bottom, see-through enough to see the outline of the wearer's legs, and it was a very soft material, though not like velvet. More like really soft cotton.

"You can have it, you know. If it fits you," Pansy said, smiling at Ginny's reaction. Pansy did indeed absolutely love the skirt, but she grew out of it, and, like the others that were in the chest, she didn't wear that type of clothing anymore.

Ginny beamed. "Thank you so much!" She turned towards the bathroom again but Amanda grabbed her hand, stopping her. She turned back around, confused.

"Don't change until you find on a top that goes with it."

"Oh, yeah, good point," Ginny said.

Pansy stood up and shooed the girls into the bathroom with mounds of clothes in their arms, threatening the boys with their manhood if they walked in.

"How about this one?" Aurora asked, holding up a dark green tank top with silver studs on the bottom, very much like the pink one that Fred held up earlier, but she could at least stand the green. She shook her head.

"No, it doesn't go with the skirt." Aurora shrugged and threw it down in the 'no' pile. Trinity held up a black shirt that Ginny really liked, but she liked the skirt more, and it did not match well. When she tried it on, the neckline went almost straight across her chest, showing a bit of cleavage, and around her biceps with the sleeves cascading down her arms.

"Try on the skirt and see how well it fits," Amanda suggested. "Then we'll hold up tops for you and you can try them on if you like them." Ginny nodded and they proceeded to do so, not getting many positive responses from Ginny. They were about to give up when Trinity's eyes caught sight of something buried under the other shirts. She pulled it out and saw that it was just a black tank top made of similar material to what the skirt was made of. It had no lace and was very plain, but it looked like it would work well. She handed it to Ginny, who was standing on the tiled floor in nothing but her underwear, the skirt, and her grey bra.

"I thought I tried everything," Ginny said.

"No, that one you didn't. I just noticed it. It was stuck under some other clothing. Try it on."

Ginny did, and when she looked in the mirror, her eyes popped open and her mouth formed a genuine smile.

"Perfect," Pansy said.

The others nodded and they ushered Ginny out of the bathroom, taking the clothes with them.

On hearing the door open, Draco, Blaise, and Zack looked up. Not even Zack could say she wasn't breathtaking.

"Wow…" Blaise said, then he whistled. "Man, Ginsy, you can really pull off that look!" He winked at her in a friendly, joking way, and she smiled.

Fred and George made their way over to her and each put one arm around her shoulders. "Our Gin-Gin is growing up!" George said.

"Well, I think we can definitely say that you have been thoroughly 'sexified.' What do you think?" Fred asked, grinning.

She rolled her eyes, but laughed. "You guys…"

Then suddenly, their demeanors changed and they leaned into her. "But if anyone touches you or says anything to you that you don't like at that party, tell us," George said seriously.

"Yeah, and we'll take care of 'em. Bash 'em to pieces," said Fred. "Prank 'em into oblivion." And then, as soon as their attitudes changed to those of seriousness, they changed back before you could blink. "You'll have 'em all drooling!"

"Do your best, Gin-bug!" George said, lightly punching her shoulder. She leapt at him, eager for a playfight session, but Pansy pulled her back.

"Ohh no you don't. Even though I'm giving them to you, you're not ripping my clothes."

"Hehe, sorry," Ginny said, looking slightly sheepish.

"Blaise? What's wrong?" Pansy asked, looking over at him and seeing a puzzled expression on his face.

"Something's missing."

"She doesn't need anything. Let's just get this over with so I can go to sleep."

"Oh Draco, stop being such a sourpuss." Blaise stood up and walked over to the sofa chair where Draco threw his uniform, and started digging around for something.

"What are you doing?" Draco asked, confused.

"Ah-HA!" Blaise said, holding up his fist, which held Draco's Slytherin tie.

"What do you need that for?" Trinity asked. But Blaise didn't answer her. He walked over to Ginny, loosened the tie, and threw it over her head. He fiddled with it until the way it looked satisfied him, and he stepped back.

"You know," said Pansy, "that really looks good. It finishes the outfit."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but GinGin looks like a Slytherin, George!"

"I wholeheartedly agree with you, Fred. Our baby sister is turning into a Slytherin!" The twins sobbed on each other's shoulders, and Ginny punched both of their arms, causing them to go into a laughing fit.

"You two are insane."

"We are told that many times, yet you still take after us." Ginny playfully glared at them, and walked over to the small mirror on the wall. She absolutely loved the look of the loose green tie – especially since it was Draco's. She could smell his scent on it, and her heart gave a squeeze. She smiled brightly and turned around.

"I love it."

"And who said you could wear my tie?" Draco asked nonchalantly.

"I believe Blaise did. You have others, so I'm keeping this one. At least for the party."

He made a sour face, but he secretly loved the way it looked on her. It felt like she was his. He knew she wasn't property, and he never saw any girl as property, but he loved the feeling it gave him to know that she was his, and no one else's. His frigid heart was slowly letting Ginny into it, without letting him know until it would be too late.

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**Well, I hope you all enjoyed that! There will be more soon, I promise!**


	17. Halloween part 1

Chapter 17 – Halloween part 1

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the music or characters you recognize. I only own my made up characters and this story line.

Look at the bottom for my Author's note.

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Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret

(Just another regret)

I'll keep you my dirty little secret

(Dirty little secret)

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It was the morning of the Halloween ball, and Ginny could hardly wait to reveal even some of what was to come later that night, thanks to Pansy. So, when she woke up, she showered, dressed in jeans Ron would think were too tight, a black tank top that showed a nice amount of cleavage, her black and white lace-up converses, and light eyeliner, accompanied by her usual black nail polish. She even shortened her hair to the middle of her back and straightened it. As she walked down to a late breakfast, she had a slight bounce in her step and noticed that as she walked by, people took a second glance.

Ginny Weasley, disregarding the occasional chain on her jeans or black nail polish, was always seen in the school as a sweet and innocent follower of Harry Potter, but she was dead set on erasing this and having the real view of her inserted. No, she was not slutty, as she chose guys very carefully, and she usually wore jeans and a t-shirt. What she really wanted people to know was how loyal she was to her friends. She most certainly was not a follower, especially one of Harry's. She was her own person, and she was damn sure that people would eventually see it.

"Hey, Gin."

"Hi," Ginny said as she sat down next to Trinity, grabbing a plate, toast, bacon, and eggs.

"Nice new look you got there," Trinity said, smirking. "Decided to start early?"

"You bet."

"Oh daaaaamn, girl. Ron's gonna flip when he sees you," said Aurora, who had walked up to them, yawning widely, and sitting down on Ginny's other side.

"Let him. It's high time he learned that he can't order me around. I'm not a little girl, nor is he my keeper."

"Well said, Gin-bug," said Fred, who was sitting, surprisingly quiet, opposite Trinity. It was the morning, though, and he and George were _not_ morning people. George, who was next to Fred opposite Ginny, nodded.

"You look smashing," George said in a nasal voice.

Ginny rolled her eyes and laughed at him. "Why thank you, George."

"Welcome," he said, paused, looked down at his plate, and started eating. Ginny shook her head at her brother's antics, never quite getting used to them. George and Fred were quite odd, but she loved them the best out of her brothers. They understood her better than any other brother did, and they supported her. Bill and Charlie did, too, but they're rarely around, and are much older.

"Where's Amanda?" Ginny asked.

"Still asleep. She went to bed late last night because she was trying to finish all of her homework for the weekend so she wouldn't have to worry about it all on Sunday," Aurora said, her voice mumbling due to her body trying to wake up.

"Smart girl," Ginny muttered, annoyed that she couldn't get most of her work done on Fridays. She usually did some on Friday and the rest on Sunday.

"That's probably why Hermione isn't down here yet," Trinity said. "She probably did ALL of her homework."

"So Gin-Gin, why didn't you wear Malfoy's tie today?" George asked, smirking.

"That would _really_ send Ron over the edge," Fred said.

"I know it would, but I want to save that for later." Ginny smirked to herself when she saw Ron walk into the Great Hall with Harry.

"Speak of the devil," Aurora said.

"Hey," Harry said, addressing them all. They said their hi's and hello's, then went back to their food, waiting for Ron and Harry to notice something different about someone in their group. "Ginny, did you do something with your hair?" Harry asked. Ginny lifted her eyes to look at him and nodded, then smiled to herself when she saw Harry's and Ron's eyes go wide.

"Ginny…what are you wearing? WHY are you wearing that?" Ron said. Ginny could feel an onslaught of what Ron called "brotherly love" coming, and braced herself. She knew she was backed by everyone else there, including Fred and George, which was a huge plus.

"They're called clothes, Ronald."

"They're too tight!"

"I happen to like them, and I don't give a shit about whether you like them or not."

Ron looked taken aback. "Ginny," he said in a warning voice.

"Don't you use that tone with me like you think you're mum. I refuse to be bossed around by you, and I refuse to go by your rules. I wear what I want to wear, end of story."

"NO! NOT end of story! The outlines of your legs are showing, your shirt is…you're showing…"

"My boobs?"

"GINNY!"

"What? That's what they are. You're such a prude."

"YOU BETTER BE, TOO!"

"You are NOT my keeper! You are not my boss! Leave me the fuck alone Ronald or I swear, you WILL be sorry."

Ron was at a loss. He turned to his brothers for help, but he wasn't sure he would get it because of who they sided with a while ago in La Vie Boheme when Ginny was hanging out with the Slytherins. "Why are you condoning this?"

The twins narrowed their eyes, and Ron shrank back slightly. "Condoning? Dear brother, we are not condoning Ginny's preferred style," George said.

"We are encouraging her to be herself, without an annoying, little shit of a brother breathing down her neck. You would be wise if you left her alone," Fred added.

"But she…but she looks like a whore!"

By now, the Great Hall had gone silent, but they were even more shocked when they heard a loud smack ring through the giant room. Fred had gone to punch Ron, but Ginny beat him to it, so he held back.

"Ginny! What's wrong with you?" Harry asked. "I know that Ron's being a complete arse, but you don't have to hit him so hard!"

"Harry, he's treating Ginny like a dog! He deserved it!" Aurora said. Nobody thought she would say anything to Harry because of how much she loved him, but Ginny was one of her best friends, and she was extremely protective.

"Rora…she hit him really hard!"

"And I still think that he deserved it! I love you, Harry, but Ginny is also one of my best friends! And I refuse to simply stand by and watch him abuse her!"

Harry turned and walked away with Ron in tow, and Aurora slumped on the bench and started sobbing on Ginny's shoulder, with Trinity's arm around her.

"Aurora, you shouldn't have done that," Ginny said softly, but fondly.

"Why? Why did he just turn and walk away from me? He's never done that!"

"Aurora, he's torn between his best friend, his sister-figure, and you," Trinity said. "It's really hard for him because he can't choose one. Yes, he should choose you, but he's known Ron and Ginny longer, Ron even longer than Ginny."

"That doesn't give him the excuse to walk away from me!"

Ginny looked at Trinity with a solemn expression on her face. She felt that she was at fault for this, even though she never asked Aurora to stick up for her. "Let's go back to the room. Come on, Rora."

"No, Harry and Ron are there. I don't want to go back," she said, muffled by having her face in Ginny's shoulder.

"Draco's, then?" Aurora nodded and Trinity scribbled a letter addressed to Draco, folded it into an airplane, and it flew out of the Great Hall. Another one came back a few minutes later from Draco, telling them to go to him. She and Trinity helped Aurora up and they took her out of the Great Hall.

"Let's have a little chat with Harry and Ron. Shall we?" George asked Fred, who nodded.

"I don't give a fuck that you think Ginny has turned into a whore," Fred said loudly. "She is more of a good person than you could ever want to be. Just because her clothes are tighter than you would like them to be doesn't mean she has to always listen to you! You're not mum! And she is not a follower of anyone else but herself."

"And YOU!" George pointed directly at Harry, who was already feeling annoyed and guilty at how he treated his girlfriend. "How DARE you just walk away from Aurora! She was sobbing uncontrollably because she now thinks you view Ron as more important than her!"

Harry's eyes widened. "But I don't! I don't put one before the other!"

"What?" Ron yelled. "I'm your best friend! How do I not come before your girlfriend?"

"I can't choose one of you as more important than the other, Ron! And you've been an arse for a while now! I'm getting sick of it! Because of your urge to control Ginny, which is barbaric, if you ask me, you caused me to be rude to Aurora!"

"No, Harry," Fred said. "You could have chosen to not be rude to her. Ron may have been part of it, but it was your choice in the end to leave. If you really love her, you would go to her and explain." Fred and George left with one last threat to Ron.

"How can you take Ginny's and Aurora's side?"

"Because you treat them both like shit and I'm sick of it. You need to re-think some things, mate. How you treat people, and that they have their own minds and rights." Harry left through the portrait hole, not really knowing where to go, but going wherever his feet would take him.

* * *

-

* * *

"Son of a bitch."

"Draco, I have to talk to him. Please don't misjudge him after one thing."

"Aurora, he chose his best friend over you!"

"And what would you do?"

He faltered, and noticed that Ginny was staring straight at him, but he didn't look back.

"If my best friend was being a dick to you and the woman I would supposedly be in love with stood up for you, I would not walk away. I'd punch his lights out."

"Look, we should wait for things to settle a bit and give Harry a chance to explain himself to Aurora," Trinity said. "That's the best we can do. If he doesn't, we know that he really is a douchebag. If he does, he's sincere and really loves Aurora. Hasn't he protected her in the past? And stood up for her?"

"Yeah…" Draco answered, annoyed.

"Then let's wait until he finds Aurora."

"Good idea," Ginny said. Her mind was reeling and her heart was pounding from what Draco had said. She knew he was genuine, and would never hurt the people he loves, but did he love her? Did she love him? What did they have with each other? Was it just lust, or was there something more? She shook her head as an effort to get the thoughts out for a little while at least. She didn't have time to worry about things like that.

* * *

-

* * *

Harry was sitting behind some bushes and a tree by the lake. He was not visible by anyone from the castle unless they were on the fifth floor, or the Astronomy tower. He went there to think, and to get away from Ron. These particular bushes are where he and Aurora went to get away from people, and to just talk without interruption. He picked up a rock and threw it into the lake. _'Why did I have to do that? Why did I walk away from her? I was agitated…at everything, that's why. But that's still no excuse to do that to her. Or Ginny. I shouldn't have yelled at Ginny and Fred. Ron really did deserve what he got.'_ He sighed and lowered his back onto the soft grass, folding his arms behind his head.

He finally decided to write a note to Aurora telling her to come to their spot by the lake. If she didn't come, he would try again later. He really wanted tonight to be special for them, because he had asked her to the masquerade a long time ago and they had been planning the night since then.

After he sent it, he laid back down on the ground and closed his eyes, enjoying the nearly freezing breeze and trying not to think about everything that's been happening ever since Ginny became friends with Pansy and was accepted into their group. He didn't understand why Malfoy let her in, because she's a Weasley, a blood traitor, and he hates Ron. But then, she IS her own person, and she's not like Ron at all. Fred and George have apparently been accepted, too, as well as Trinity and Amanda, but not as close as Ginny.

* * *

-

* * *

"See? Harry _is_ genuine. He probably just got annoyed and walked off because he didn't know what else to do," Trinity said. She had always believed Harry to be genuine, and she did not believe that he was a bad person and would purposely hurt Aurora, or anyone else he loves that are close to him.

Draco mumbled and looked away. Aurora, who was holding the note, had tears slipping down her face from her blue eyes, which held sadness, but also hope. She had a lot of faith in Harry, and never doubted him. She questioned why he did what he did, and now, she'll get her answer. She stood and walked out of the Head Students' dorm, heading to her and Harry's spot.

* * *

-

* * *

'_I wonder if she'll come,'_ Harry thought. _'She has every right not to. But she loves me…I love her…I hope she does, but what if she doesn't?'_ He was really upset about what happened, and was almost brought to tears himself. He truly loved her, and would do anything to take away any pain that came to her.

He didn't even hear the footsteps that were making their way towards him. He thought he was alone until he saw her upside down from where he was laying. He sat up instantly, and she sat next to him, staring out at the lake.

"Thanks for coming…I was worried that you wouldn't."

"Why wouldn't I?"

"You have every right not to."

"I love you Harry, you know that. Don't doubt me, please."

"I've never doubted you. Please don't say that."

"Why did you walk away from me, Harry?" She asked, choking down a sob. His heart clenched at seeing her tears, and he felt so incredibly guilty.

"I'm so sorry that I did. I was overwhelmed at everything that was happening, even though that's no excuse. Ron being an arse, Ginny rebelling, you standing up for her against Ron, Ginny hitting him, my love for you and Ginny against my friendship with Ron…everything piled up, and my brain turned off. I had to get away from it all to think, which is what I did. I didn't mean to walk away from you, and that's not what I did. I walked away from everyone; Ron just followed me, and I wish he hadn't. Fred and George followed us back up to the tower, and gave us a good talking-to. It made me clear my head and see what my priorities were. Yes, Ron is my best friend and we've been through nearly everything together, but I love you like I could never love anyone else, and you were – _are _– my priority right now. Ron can wait. Friendships can take a beating, but I don't want my relationship with you to take one. I'm not speaking to him until he gets his mind straightened out."

During Harry's monologue, Aurora took everything in, realizing that it really wasn't her he walked away from. Trinity was right; it _was_ everything. "I'm sorry for getting so upset…and for going against Ron."

Harry looked at her incredulously. "How could you possibly be sorry? I'm the one who walked away. You have _nothing_ to be sorry for. Ron's an arse, we all know that." She looked up at him, and he melted. Her blue eyes always did that to him, along with her smile, but she didn't have one at the moment. He leaned over and took her in his arms, letting her last few tears fall. "I'm so sorry for hurting you. You know I'd do anything to not let you feel pain, right?" Aurora nodded, not trusting her voice to not crack. "I love you _so_ much, Aurora. You're my world. Please don't ever forget that."

"I won't," she whispered. "You're mine, too."

Harry smiled and kissed her forehead. "Do you want to stay out here for a bit, or go inside?"

It was quite chilly, but she had her coat and Harry wrapped around her, and she loved being here with him where no one could bother them. "Stay here," she answered.

"Alright." He leaned over and kissed her, then pressed his cheek against hers.

* * *

-

* * *

**Thank you for reviewing my last chapter! I know I said that I would post this chapter sooner than I did, and I'm so sorry! I just won't say I'll post soon anymore…I'll post when I can. I just came home from college and I'm job searching. I'll do my best, I promise.**


	18. Halloween part 2

Chapter 18 – Halloween part 2

Please tell me if you ever remember me posting what color Amanda's eyes are. I mentioned it later in this chapter, but I can't remember if I have said it before. Thank you! And thank you for all of your wonderful reviews! I know this chapter is long and that it is not complete, but the next chapter I have started already.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything that you recognize as part of the Harry Potter series. My characters are mine, so please do not use them. My storyline is mine, so please don't use it. Blah blah blah etc. Enjoy!

* * *

-

* * *

I'll keep you my dirty little secret

(Dirty little secret)

Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret

(Just another regret)

* * *

-

* * *

"I'm so glad everything worked out between you two," Amanda said after learning about what had transpired while she slept in. She was walking with Aurora around the lake because the blonde wanted to talk, and be away from everyone else. She invited Amanda when she went up to their room and found the brunette awake, and wanted to tell her what had happened when Amanda asked her about her puffy eyes.

"Yeah, me too."

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah…I guess I'm still shaken from when he walked away after I defended Ginny. I know it wasn't me he walked away from, but it still hurt."

"I know. I'm sorry, love." Amanda knew Aurora, and while she wanted to change the subject to make her friend happier, she knew that Aurora wasn't the type to want that. She wanted to talk things out, and wanted a friend to listen and maybe give her some comforting words or advice. Not change the subject, so Amanda decided to walk in silence until Aurora made that decision.

"Wow, it's cold for October."

"Well, it _is_ November tomorrow. Technically."

"Yeah. You excited about tonight?" Aurora asked. Amanda nodded and smiled, her already rosy cheeks becoming even rosier. "What's that? Is that a blush I see?"

"It's cold, Rora."

"Ohhhhh no, that's not why your cheeks are red. Who's taking you? You never told anyone."

"That's because he asked me fairly recently."

"So? Who is it?"

"George…"

"HA! I knew it!" Aurora's yell caused Amanda to jump in surprise.

"What? How?"

"Oh please. It's so obvious that you two have disclosed feelings for each other and won't admit it to the other. It's been a long waiting period for all of us. We even made bets."

"You did WHAT?"

"Oh come on. You would have, too!"

"Hm. Well…they're not exactly…disclosed." Aurora's eyes went wide.

"What do you mean? I mean, I know he asked you to the dance, but is there something else? What did he do?" Amanda chuckled at her friend's antics, and told her about the incident in the library. "Ohhh yeah, Trinity told me about that, but I don't think she knew exactly how close you two came to kissing. Awwwwwww! EEEE! I'm so happy for you!"

"Rora! It's not like we're dating! We're friends!"

"Do friends kiss each other? Or…almost?"

"Look at Trinity and Fred."

"They're…but…they are sexually attracted to each other. That's different." Amanda looked at her with an expression that said 'Oh come on.' "It _is_!"

"No it's not. They have sex and fool around, but they don't act as a couple. They may act as a team, but they aren't romantic like you and Harry. I was there for George when…ah…" She realized that she said too much, and froze.

"When he what?"

"When he…fell for a girl who was whisked away by another guy. I told him that everyone needs a friend, and we started hanging out. A lot. I helped him with his math homework and he helped me with my potions. We're really close."

"But he almost kissed you."

"Look, I don't know what to make of it, ok? I'm just happy he asked me to the dance."

"Ah HA! So you DO have feelings for him!"

"I…" Amanda's face grew even redder, and she could not find words to say.

"What's wrong with that?"

"Because he might not like me back!"

It was then when Aurora realized that Amanda wasn't being modest and shy; she was really scared. Aurora's face softened. "Mans, if he leaned in to kiss you, I'm positive that he likes you."

"What if he was confused, Rora? What if he regrets it?"

"He asked you to the dance, didn't he?" Amanda had nothing to say to this. Aurora _did_ have a point. "Just give it a chance. If it doesn't work out, I'm pretty sure you'll stay friends. If it does…why would you risk not having what could be the rest of your life?"

"Whoa…I'm sixteen, Rora. He's eighteen."

"I'm not saying get married in a year! I'm saying what if your relationship lasts so long, that in a few years, he asks you to marry him? Why on Earth would you give that up just because you're scared?"

"I don't know…"

They had finally gone in a full circle and reached the castle when it started to snow. Amanda and Aurora gazed up in awe.

"Wow…the first snow…" Aurora held out a hand and caught a beautiful snowflake, watching it melt on her skin. "Let's go inside. We can enjoy it from the common room and a wonderful fire." Amanda nodded her agreement, and they made their way to their room to strip their many layers, don their pajamas, and then went back downstairs to the main common room sit in front of the fire; the small third floor common room had a very small fireplace and wasn't as cozy. Amanda brought two pieces of parchment, each three feet long, and two text books – potions and charms – and pulled a chair and small table over to the window to work on them.

"I swear, you're the next Hermione."

"What? I'm just writing my essays. They're due on Monday, and I want to enjoy myself tonight. I'm just getting them over with."

"You should be sleeping in front of the warm, yummy fire. Not doing work." Amanda smiled at her friend.

"But I like doing it. And I feel a sense of accomplishment and freedom when I finish work because then I can do whatever I want."

Aurora smiled. "Suit yourself."

* * *

-

* * *

This was the scene Harry, Ginny, Hermione, Trinity, Fred, and George saw when they walked through the portrait hole two hours later. Harry's heart swelled when he saw his sleeping girlfriend and walked over to sit next to her, pulling her head into his lap. She adjusted in her sleep and settled again, causing Ginny to smile. Amanda looked up at them, not realizing they came in until Ginny was a few feet from her. Her head jerked up and she sent the redhead a soft smile.

"Hey. How long have you been working here?"

"Um…about two hours, I guess."

"Wow. Did you finish?"

"Yeah. Well…one or two more sentences on the charms paper and I'll be done."

"Awesome. I wish I was as dedicated to finishing work as you." They laughed and Amanda put down her quill. "How long has Rora been asleep?"

Amanda looked over at the blonde with her head in Harry's lap, and smiled. "Maybe an hour and a half, maybe more. Not sure. What time is it?"

"Three in the afternoon. Have you seen the amount of snow outside? It's awesome!"

"Yeah. It started falling when Rora and I were outside earlier. I've been looking up about every twenty minutes or so. We should go build snowmen later."

"Even better – snowball FIGHT!" Just then, the portrait swung open and in walked none other than Draco Malfoy.

"What are you doing here?" Hermione asked. She knew the heads knew the passwords to all four houses, but they rarely had the need to go to them.

Ginny turned at Hermione's voice and noticed who was standing in her common room. "Malfoy?"

"What's up, mate?" Fred asked. He wasn't Draco's friend, but they were all friendly to each other.

"Nothing too important." He looked at Ginny and nodded to her. "Pansy wants you. And Rora, Trinity, and Amanda, if possible."

"Whaaat? But we were just going to have a snowball fight!"

"We were?" Trinity asked.

"Yeah, with herself," George said, snickering.

Ginny stuck her tongue out at him. "Can't it wait?" she asked.

"'Fraid not, Red. She said to drag you kicking and screaming if I had to because she knew you'd want to go out in the snow."

"Awwwwww! Not fair."

"WHOA!"

Everyone stopped and looked at Dean Thomas, who had come down the stairs and saw Malfoy in the common room, speaking amiably with his housemates.

Ginny's heart hardened and she stared at him with cold, unforgiving eyes, but he didn't seem to notice. Draco did, though, and he made it a point to be rude to Dean.

"What's the matter, Thomas? You look like you've just seen a Malfoy in your common room."

"I do!"

"But I don't see the problem with that. You see one every day. See?" He pointed to his sleeping sister.

"Not her, you disgusting ferret! YOU! WHAT are you doing here?"

"He's Head Boy, Thomas," Ginny said snidely. "He has access to all of the houses, just like Hermione does. Surely, being all-knowing, you should know that."

"I wasn't talking to you, Weasley."

"But she was talking to you," Draco said, sneering. "Don't disrespect her simply because she gave you correct information."

Dean didn't realize that Ron was making his way down to the common room, and was listening to everything that was being said, now. He didn't want to freak out because Malfoy was in the common room; he knew that Hermione knew the passwords to the other houses, so Malfoy must, as well. His blood was boiling, though. He stopped and stood in the shadows, just far enough away for no one to see him. Dean's back was to him, also, which gave him an advantage.

"Actually, Malfoy, nothing that comes out of that whore's mouth is correct information." Ron's eyes widened and his rage flew through the roof. It was one thing for him to be angry with Ginny for wearing revealing clothing, but he had been thinking because no one wanted to be around him after seeing how he acted when Ginny was with him. He realized that he really couldn't control his sister, nor did he actually want to, but he still didn't fully understand why everyone got so furious when he yelled at her. And besides - no one could call her a whore!

Just as Fred, George, and Draco got to Dean after seeing the tears in Ginny's eyes, Ron jumped down the last few steps and into the room, pinning Dean to the wall with one hand and pummeling his face with the other. He knew what Dean did to Ginny last year, and he may be oblivious to some things, but he wasn't stupid.

"YOU ARROGANT SON OF A BITCH! DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT HER LIKE THAT AFTER WHAT YOU DID TO HER YOU PIECE OF SHITE! I'LL KILL YOU! I SWEAR I'LL KILL YOU!" Fred and George pulled Ron off of Dean and just when Dean thought they saved him, the twins took out their anger and protection on him worse than Ron had while Draco held him in place. Harry would have done something, but he didn't want to jump up and throw Aurora to the floor. She woke up, anyway, due to all of the commotion, and saw Ron jump into the room and start to beat up Dean.

Then she looked over at Ginny, and saw the wide, tear-filled brown eyes, and anger surged within her. With Aurora off his lap and fully awake, Harry jumped off the couch and threw a few punches of his own.

"**STOP!**" Surprisingly, everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to Aurora who, for a girl her size, had an amazing set of lungs. "WHAT the HELL is wrong with you people? I go to sleep for a few hours and THIS is what I wake up to?" They all actually had the decency to look a bit sheepish – all except for Dean, who was so furious with everyone there but too hurt to do anything about it.

Aurora stood and walked over to Dean, who was still being held in place by Draco who had done a good amount of punching himself.

"I may hate violence…which is why I stopped this fight…but what you did to Ginny is unforgivable." Then she threw the punch that broke his nose. "Do get him out of here, please."

"Gladly," the twins said. They levitated him and walked out of the common room. Everyone was sending glances to the other people, not quite sure of what to do. Ron eventually landed his eyes on Ginny, but Draco had already made his way over to her.

He put his hands on her shoulders and lowered his voice, though not enough for others to not hear him. "Are you alright?" Ginny nodded, but the movement caused a few tears to spill over. Draco wiped them away. "Let's go. Get your things and I'll walk with you to Slytherin. Pansy is probably getting restless."

"Okay," she whispered.

"I'll wait outside, ok?" She nodded, and Draco made his way to the portrait hole, nodding to the girls and sharing a glance with Harry before he left.

Ron, putting the whole Malfoy being in his common room thing aside, walked up to Ginny and pulled her into a hug. She then fell into full sobs, and Ron took her up to her room, able to climb the stairs because she was with him and allowed it.

It was after Dean said that nasty thing about Ginny when Ron realized why everyone got so mad and protective when he said those horrible things to her. It was because no matter how angry you are with someone you love, you still love them, and when someone else attacks them with words or physical threats, your anger at that person is forgotten and all you want to do is pummel the attacker to oblivion. He told Ginny this; in not so many words, but she understood the meaning of it, and did not let go of her brother's waist. His shirt was wet from her tears, but he didn't care. All he wanted was for her to stop crying and put one of those amazing smiles on her face.

"Ginny, come on. Stop crying, please? Get your things and go to Parkinson's."

"You're actually telling me to go to Slytherin?"

"Well…no…I'm telling you to go have fun." She smiled as her brother tried to cover up what he said, and finally let go of him.

"Thank you, Ron."

"Ah…sure…this doesn't mean I'm not mad still!"

"Sure, sure."

"Hmph."

"And I know you're sorry for being a complete bastard. I forgive you." With this, and a smile, she ran down the stairs with Ron following, slower than her.

"GINNY! I…oh, never mind." He decided to let it go when he saw her bright smile – something he sorely missed. When he made it to the common room, she and the other girls were nowhere to be found.

* * *

-

* * *

"Wow…what exactly did Thomas do to you?" Ginny never told Pansy about Dean, simply because she never had the chance to. Now that she did, though, she didn't feel like explaining it in detail.

"Uh…well basically, we dated, and he was my first…you know. I found him cheating on me, found out he was using me, I dumped him, the rumors started…blah blah blah. I'll tell you about it all later."

"Who started the rumors? I remember hearing them."

"He did. But let's not talk about that right now. I'm just happy knowing that he was dealt with by Fred and George, and I don't even know where he is right now and what they did to him when they left the common room, nor do I care."

"Huh…so you and Ron made up. How did that happen?"

"I don't know…I think he was walking downstairs and heard us talking, then heard what Thomas said to me and flipped out."

"I guess it takes an example of his own behavior to realize what he was really doing. Everything he said was probably justified in his mind, so he never thought he was doing anything wrong and was extremely frustrated when his final friend left him. He was forced to think, which is what Potter told him to do, wasn't it?" Trinity looked at Aurora, who nodded. Harry told her what happened in the common room between Ron, Fred, George, and himself, as well as how he left Ron to himself and told him how disgusted he was with Ron.

"So are you going to become a therapist now?" Pansy asked jokingly. "You're awful good at giving advice and explaining behavior.

"I prefer to be called a psychologist," she joked back.

"Psychologist, huh? I could never EVER want to be a shrink. No offense," Ginny said.

Trinity shrugged. "I wouldn't, either. I hate therapy." She grinned. "Now why did you want us all to meet so early? We still have hours before the dance."

"My dear, it takes hours to get ready for this sort of thing."

Ginny laughed and rolled her eyes. "Well I have all of my stuff here. What about you guys?"

"We put our things in Pansy's room earlier today, right before Amanda and I went outside," Aurora said.

"I see, I see. So what are we waiting for? Let's get started…if it really does take that long."

"I shot not first," Trinity said. She loved attention, but she liked doing her own makeup and hair. Aurora and Amanda looked warily at each other, then at Ginny.

"Ohh no. I'm not going first, either. I don't even know why we're getting ready for this thing so far in advance."

"Ginny, dear, there are five of us. At least hang out in the room and help until it's your turn."

"I'll go first," Amanda said.

Pansy clapped her hands in glee. "Perfect!"

Ginny shook her head. "You're having too much fun with this, Pans. Hey wait…where's Mione? Wasn't she invited?"

"Oh, I haven't seen her. You can send her a note, if you want."

"You don't mind her coming to get ready with us, Pansy?" Aurora asked.

"No. I don't have a problem with her. She called me pug-nosed a few years ago…but that's behind us. So go ahead, send it to her. The more, the merrier."

"She called you pug-nosed?" Amanda asked.

Ginny began to giggle uncontrollably, and laughed outright when Pansy sent her a scathing look. "I was in my awkward stage, alright?"

Aurora didn't laugh because she knew how hurtful that remark was to Pansy, as the older girl had confided in her when it happened.

"Pansy, you never looked like that. Hermione was still in that Slytherin-hating stage when she said it," Ginny said after she calmed down. "I'm just laughing because I remember when that happened. Hermione had her period and was having crazy mood swings and she felt really bad about it later that day. I wasn't laughing at you, sorry."

"You're beautiful. How could you let a remark like that get to you?" Pansy looked at Amanda with widened eyes, not expecting to hear that from her, the shy one.

"Thank you…I dunno."

Amanda smiled, and gave Ginny a small piece of parchment to send to Hermione, and the Head Girl arrived about half an hour later to Amanda already in her generic witch's costume complete with the pointed hat. However, Pansy would simply not let Amanda get away with such a modest costume that reached her knees.

"TRUST me on this, will you? You look very pretty, but I can make you look fabulous. George won't be able to keep his jaw closed." Ironically, it was Amanda's jaw that dropped open, and her eyes grew to the size of dinner plates.

"WHAT? How did you…we're not dating! Aurora!"

"I didn't tell her! I told you it was obvious!"

"Oh please, Amanda. Rora's right; it is obvious. Just accept it. It will only hinder your relationship if you deny everything. Now, as for your skirt…" Pansy waved her wand before Amanda could protest, and the brunette suddenly felt a draft on her thighs.

"Pansy! I'll be pulling on the skirt all night!"

"Please don't do that; it'll make you look awkward. You can't see your underwear, right Hermione?"

"Well…no."

"Hermione!"

Hermione's shoulders dropped at the other girl's anguished whine. "Amanda…honestly, you look amazing."

"If Hermione says that, you SHOULD believe it," Pansy said. She laughed when Amanda threw up her arms in defeat and Hermione rolled her eyes, only to go back to her advanced potions essay.

Amanda's skirt had jagged, torn edges that fluttered around her thighs at the slightest movement with a modest stiff black top that laced up the back and had off-the-shoulder sleeves that tapered down about half of a foot from her wrists. Then Pansy ushered her over to Trinity, who would do her makeup.

"Next!" Pansy grinned. She _was_ having too much fun with this. Ginny rolled her eyes again, but stood. "Gin? You're actually going to let me help you? What a shock!" Ginny threw a pillow at Pansy, who just laughed.

"No. You're going to do my makeup. I'm going into the bathroom to change, and when I come out, I'll wow you all with my sexifieded-ness." This got them all to laugh, especially since they had all taken to using Blaise's word – or variations of it.

Ginny took her bag into the bathroom just as Pansy was starting on Aurora.

"You never did tell me what your costume was."

Aurora shrugged. "That's because it's stupid, and all I could think of."

"I'm sure it's not stupid. What is it?"

"…An angel."

"That's not stupid. Let me see it."

Aurora pulled out her costume and went to put it on behind the changing screen near Pansy's bed. When she came out, Pansy immediately noticed two things wrong.

"Well one, it's not that flattering and two, the wings look so fake. Here, let me change them around a bit." Pansy murmured a spell for making objects lighter and thinner, then she said another spell for a slow, fake "wind" to only affect the object in question, and finally, a shimmering spell. The ending effect was beautiful. The wings looked like they protruded from Aurora's back, and they shimmered and flowed gently as if they were being swayed in a light breeze.

"Pansy…they're beautiful," Aurora breathed. Even Hermione was looking up from her essay, in awe.

"Pansy, that's pretty advanced magic available to beauty school students. How did you learn those spells?"

"Apparently, my mother has _some_ uses. Albeit, very few." Hermione knew to not ask any more questions that might involve Pansy's mother, so she just complimented the other girl's work, which made her beam.

"What about the dress? You said it doesn't flatter me…"

"Well you make it look beautiful in a very modest way. It's too loose and too long." After another twenty minutes, Pansy and Aurora had the dress looking like something out of a fairytale. It was pristine and looked like freshly fallen snow. It had no sleeves, but two thin straps that threaded into four sets of two small loops down the back of the dress that took the place of what was the zipper. The material that covered her chest was simple and the neckline ran straight across it in almost a straight line; simple but beautiful. The dress had an empire waist made with lace that went along the outside of the white material, courtesy to Pansy, and the rest of the fabric clung to her waist and hips, then fell loosely to just above her ankles.

"Pansy Parkinson…I never knew you were this adept at beauty transfigurment," Hermione said.

Instead of coming up with a smart reply, Pansy just smiled and blushed. "It's nothing. I just like helping."

"I can't do this kind of magic. I mean, I know I'm not great at everything, but I am good with magic, and I can't do what you just did."

"Thank you."

"What should I do about my hair?" Aurora asked her sister-figure. Pansy thought for a minute, then waved her wand, causing Aurora's long blonde hair to spring up and develop a very light, loose curl to it. Then the front pieces lifted to be clipped to the sides of her head with fake pearl hair clips that came with the costume. Pansy left a few curled strands to frame Aurora's beautiful face, and said a spell that made the girl's hair look like silk. "Wow…" Aurora said when she looked in the mirror behind her.

"Harry is one lucky guy," Trinity said, finally done with Amanda's makeup. She turned Amanda around to the other three to show them her work, and their faces lit up. Amanda's lips were a shade of red, but one that worked for her. Her eyes had a thin line of eyeliner, and mascara made her eyelashes stand out and frame her grey eyes.

"Amanda, you look absolutely beautiful," Aurora said.

"Me? Look at you! I haven't been able to look at you all this time while Trin was working on my face, and I've been hearing everyone going 'ohh' and 'ahh.' Pansy, you really are wonderful at this."

"Yeah, you should forget about your shrink stuff and go into beauty," said a voice from the bathroom door. They looked over and their jaws dropped. There stood Ginny, the outline of her body clearly visible as well as her chest. Her dress was plain and black with no designs on it, but what she did with it truly made it spectacular. The sleeves began at her arms, off her shoulders, and tapered to her wrists very much like Amanda's top, her blood red hair spilled over her shoulders and down her back, her lips were the deepest, reddest red on the market and it damn well suited her, and her eyes were the color of brilliant garnet. When she grinned, they noticed that she lengthened her canines to look like fangs.

"Ginny! How did you learn to do that to your eyes?" Hermione.

"I taught her," Pansy said. "She asked me a few weeks ago how to change the color of her eyes to whatever she wanted, but I didn't know she was going to use it for this. Wow, Gin! You look fantastic!"

"Why thank you."

"You stole my idea!" Trinity said, laughing. "Even if you do look good! I told you when we found out about the masquerade that I was going to be a vampire."

"Trin, you said a gothic vampire. I chose to be the black and red type with a simple dress."

"True…" She pouted and Ginny laughed.

"So go get dressed! You shot not first, but you didn't shoot last. And it looks like Hermione isn't done with her essay, so you better get changed." Ginny smirked as Trinity rolled her eyes.

"Fine." Trinity got her costume and headed to the bathroom.

"You said I was going to do your makeup, Gin," Pansy said, not actually caring.

"You will…I can't seem to get the hang of…uh…foundation." Pansy let out a soft laugh.

"Oh, Ginny. You dress up like a sexual predator and you can't even do your own makeup. It's just white!"

"Yeah but I can't make it even! Don't make me throw that pillow at you again."

This made Pansy laugh even harder. "Oh you wouldn't. Besides, we're running out of time. It's been three hours already, and we have one more."

"One hour?" Hermione shouted. "I completely lost track of time! OH NO! I need to get going!"

"Get changed really quickly and I'll make a few changes, if you want."

"Okay, thank you, but I have to be in the Great Hall in fifteen minutes!"

"Don't worry, I'll work fast. Go!"

Hermione shot up from her lazy position on the floor and shot into the bathroom, not caring about Trinity's state of undress. She came out not five minutes later.

"That was fast," Pansy said, grinning. "I like your costume."

"Heh, thank you. But it's so cliché." Hermione's costume was that of a medieval princess, but the dress she purchased was absolutely stunning. It actually looked like it was taken right from the medieval era. It was a light pale blue with accents of darker blue with silver embroidery.

"Not really. I bet you won't find anyone in there with a dress like that. I don't want to change anything about the dress, but can I change your hair?" Hermione nodded and Pansy went to work, finishing when Hermione's hair was down to her waist in tendril-like curls. Then the front strands twisted themselves and were wound around her head, making a circle.

"Thank you so much! I'll see you in forty-five minutes! Bye!" Hermione rushed off to the Great Hall, leaving Pansy to be the last one to dress. She did it in record time, having already fixed up her costume. She was a pirate. Her boots were knee-high while her black skin-tight pants tucked into them. Her top showed off her tight midriff, and was also off the shoulder – apparently that was a common thing among them. Her hair was let down out of its usual ponytail and she slipped on a deep red bandanna, applied eyeliner but no lipstick, and she was ready. Trinity came out with a black gown that had black lace and red embroidery. It looked almost like Hermione's dress, but it was thinner and looked very gothic. Trinity's lips were black, as well as her eyes with the amount of eyeliner she applied, and her eyes were a deep purple, very much like the strand in her hair.

"Your eyes…" Pansy began, but Trinity cut her off.

"Ginny. She taught me," she said, smirking.

Pansy nodded her head, and the girls decided to head out after Pansy did Ginny's eyeliner when the door opened and Blaise came in. "WHOA geez, Pansy, you should warn people before they come in here on Halloween. You girls could destroy a guy's eyesight like that!"

Pansy grinned, and the others chuckled at his not so hidden compliment. He was dressed as a vampire, complete with long billowing black cape that had a red silk lining, his normal dreadlocks enchanted to look like his hair was loose and smoothed back into a wavy ponytail. He had also enchanted his teeth like Ginny did.

"Well you didn't knock, Blaise, dear. Now what did you come in here to tell me?"

"Draco's in the Great Hall, and a lot of people are already there. I wanted to see when you guys were coming." Blaise had to try so hard to distract himself from looking at Pansy and how amazingly delicious she looked at the moment. Not that she never did…wait…he needed to stop thinking about that, _now_.

"We're coming, we're coming. Patience, Blaise. We'll follow you," Pansy said.

"Alrighty, then."

"So where's Anne?"

"She's…already there." He really did not want to talk about his girlfriend when he was so attracted to his long-time friend at the moment. It was just a passing thing, he told himself. Because it was Halloween, and the rare occasion she showed off her stomach and shoulders.

"And here we are!" Blaise said, walking up to the large open doors to the Great Hall.

* * *

-

* * *

**I know it was very long and detailed, and I really didn't need to put all that girly stuff in there, but I needed filler and well, that was it. The next chapter is chapter 19: Halloween part 3, and the last of the three parts. Lots of action in there, trust me ;)**


	19. Famous last words those have always been

Chapter 19

I apologize for not updating sooner…I really do feel terrible because I hate it when I'm reading a story and they stop updating for a month or two. However, I am on a roll now, and even though college started up again for me, I know exactly where this story is going. So, with no further adue, I give you chapter 19.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything having to do with Harry Potter except this story line and my made up characters. Please do not use them without my permission. I also do not own the store name 'Pandora's Box.' It is the name of Tabitha Deveraux's store in Sherillyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter series.

* * *

-

* * *

Just another regret

(Just another regret)

Who has to know?

Who has to know?

* * *

-

* * *

The guys were waiting at the doors of the Great Hall for their dates and when they saw them, jaws dropped. George walked up to Amanda and whispered into her ear. "_You look beautiful."_

She blushed slightly and looked up at him. "Thank you." The twins were dressed in their Weasley Wizard Wheezes suits, of which they were very proud, and everyone was having trouble knowing which was which, but she knew. She could always see the differences between the twins. "Nice suit," she said while smiling. George beamed.

"Why thank you!"

"It's a great way to promote our store," Fred said, sounding as excited about it as George. Amanda laughed, and they entered the large room.

Aurora's heart gave a little squeeze when she saw their interaction, then turned her attention to Harry.

"A quidditch captain, of course. I should have guessed," she said, smirking. He shrugged and smiled sheepishly.

"I couldn't think of much else." He couldn't keep his eyes off her. He took her hand and led her into the Great Hall, his unspoken words heard for miles, even all the way to Draco.

"I have to admit, he does take care of her," Blaise said, Anne on one arm and punch in the other hand. Draco nodded. He was dressed as Vlad the Impaler.

"Yeah, yeah…I know. I'm still wary, though."

"You always will be protective of your sister…" Draco already knew Blaise's unspoken thoughts. They never spoke of Blaise's sister; it was a subject that was too hurtful for him to talk about. Only Draco, Pansy, and Aurora knew about what happened to her, and they made sure that they never mentioned her. Draco lightly clapped Blaise on his shoulder.

"I know I will be. Cheer up; we're at a party."

Blaise smiled, not willing to explain to Anne what they were talking about when she gave him a curious expression. Instead, he held out his hand to her. "Shall we?" he asked, motioning to the dance floor. She nodded and smiled thinly; she didn't like it when Blaise kept things from her, but she respected it and let it go.

"Draco! _There_ you are. Geez, I've been looking everywhere for you."

"Hey, Pans."

Pansy put her hands on her hips. "'Hey, Pans?' That's what I get? Hmph!"

"You look spectacular?"

"That's better."

Draco smirked. "Pardon me for not wanting to wait with the Gryffindors."

Pansy rolled her eyes. "Fred and George were there. I'm sure you could've chatted with them."

"We're not friends, Pansy."

"You're close enough. Meh; it makes no difference to me. I found you." She narrowed her eyes at him, anyway.

Draco reeled back, away from her, and clutched his hands to his chest over his heart. His face held an expression of fake horror. "Oh, the evil glare! NOT the evil glare! Whatever will I do?" he said, referring to the look in her eyes, which she rolled.

"If I had something to throw at you, I would."

"Oh but dearest, you don't."

She could only take so much of their bickering before she began to laugh. She shook her head and lightly slapped his shoulder. "Oh, go get me some punch." Draco snorted, but complied. "Don't give me that; you're the one who left his date at the door."

"You're not even a real date, _best friend_," Draco said over his shoulder.

Pansy 'hmphed' and crossed her arms over her chest. "Would you rather me leave you to Daphne?"

Draco's heart skipped a beat and his eyes widened. "NO!"

"Then go get me my drink."

He went without hesitation.

* * *

-

* * *

"May I have this dance, sister?"

"Why of course, brother." Ginny grinned as George whisked her onto the dance floor and proceeded to dance with her in a comical but still graceful way. Amanda shook her head, chuckled, and went to dance with Harry, as Aurora and Trinity were being silly and dancing with each other, goofy expressions on their faces.

Fred walked up to Hermione, who was sitting at a table opposite Ron, and bowed, causing her to chuckle and roll her eyes.

"Seeing that my beloved Trinity is currently occupied, would you care to join me?" he asked, extending his hand. She took it and stood, following Fred to the dance floor where everyone was dancing to a waltz. Fred gave a pointed look at Ron when Hermione wasn't looking, and Ron put his head in his hands. He was ashamed at himself for acting the way he had been acting recently, and for being stupidly and unnecessarily jealous that Hermione had been being friendly with Malfoy. Of course she would be; they practically live together. That thought alone spiked his anger, but he shoved it down. He _had_ to learn how to do that. If he couldn't think straight, he would never win her love. He would have to accept her and Ginny's friendships with the Slytherins if he wanted Hermione to like him again.

He looked longingly at her as she danced with his brother, and wondered what they were talking about. He wished he could ask Hermione to dance with him, but he knew that she was still angry with him and he did not know how to dance.

"So, you and Ronniekins still aren't talking much?"

"Not really. We never have much to talk about unless he wants to copy my homework," she said bitterly.

"He's shy, that's why."

"Fred, we used to talk all the time. He, Harry, and I were the best of friends, and now I feel like we're drifting apart. After Aurora came into our lives, he's been a right jerk to everyone. Aurora only tolerates him because he's one of Harry's best friends. I don't know what's gotten into him." Fred's heart tightened at the look on her face, and was more determined than ever to make sure Ron didn't wind up breaking her heart. He would help them.

"Mione, he's one of the most insecure people I've ever known. He hates Malfoy like it's his job because, let's face it, the guy used to be a complete asshole, you're sharing living quarters with him, and Ron sees that you've become more comfortable with Malfoy because of it. Ron is jealous, and is beside himself. He doesn't know what to do, and when that happens, he reverts to anger, which goes to his head and he doesn't think straight." Hermione looked thoughtfully at her love's older brother, and then her eyes shifted to his chest, but she wasn't really looking at it; her mind was elsewhere. "I know he can be a prick, but he's also a very caring, devoted, genuine guy once you get past his defenses. Look at what happened when Thomas insulted Ginny. We all dove for him, but Ron got there first, and in more of a rage than any of us. He had been calling Ginny a whore, yes, but I guarantee that he never will again. He didn't realize what he was saying because everything was justified in his mind. Once he heard it from someone else, he realized."

Hermione's eyes shifted up to look at him and she smiled softly. "That's exactly what Trinity said. Are you sure you two never met before this year?" Fred chuckled. "You're a perfect couple."

"No, Harry and Aurora are a perfect couple. Couples are supposed to be together, mind and body; not like us."

"But you are together. You just don't put titles to it. You don't let anyone else into your lives, do you?"

"I never thought of it that way…" And with neither of them knowing, she helped him, too. "Be patient with Ron, Hermione. He'll come to his senses eventually."

"I'll try. So how is that new tunnel coming along?"

"You aren't supposed to know about that!"

Hermione chuckled at Fred's expression. "Oh please. I may be Head Girl, but I've broken more rules than the entire student body combined."

Fred laughed, but shook his head. "Except for two. George and I hold that record."

Hermione held up her hands. "Alright, I concede defeat."

Fred grinned. "It's going well, actually. Trin has been helping us, and we've been going much faster. We're doing it more out of curiosity than anything else. Would you like to see it?"

"Definitely!"

"Alright. Tomorrow, we're going to do a little more work on it at 1pm. I'm meeting Trin and George in the main common room."

"I'll be there."

* * *

-

* * *

"You look absolutely stunning, Aurora." Aurora blushed at Harry's wonderful comment, and smiled shyly.

"Thank you. You look very nice, too."

"How did you get your costume to have those effects?"

"Pansy is very good at beauty charms; she charmed all of our costumes. You should have seen poor Amanda's face when Pansy made her skirt shorter. Merlin forbid her skirt should reach mid-thigh! That girl is so modest. She needs to realize how beautiful she is."

Harry laughed at his girlfriend's antics, and kissed her.

* * *

-

* * *

"Gin Gin!"

"Hi, Blaise!"

"Darling, you look positively smashing."

Ginny laughed. "Are you sure you're not gay?"

Blaise placed his hand on his chest. "Moi? Surely not!" he said in his best gay voice.

This almost had Ginny rolling, but she composed herself. "Where's Anne?"

"She's sitting down. Her feet hurt."

"Oh, well in that case, would you like to dance? George went off to find Amanda, Fred is dancing with Trinity, and Aurora with Harry. That leaves me with no one."

"You didn't come with a date?"

"No. There wasn't anyone I wanted to go with."

"Didn't anyone ask you?"

She smiled at Blaise's shock. "A few people, but I wasn't interested."

"Well then I will certainly dance with you!" He bowed gallantly.

"Blaise, you kook. Let's go." Once they got to the dance floor, she started up their conversation again. "Who have you danced with tonight?"

"Oh well, you know. Anne, you, the entire gay population of Hogwarts. Ow!" Ginny playfully hit Blaise's arm.

"You never cease to amaze me. I can never stop laughing when I'm around you."

"That's me!"

"Ha, so, haven't you danced with Pansy at all?"

She saw something flicker in Blaise's eyes for a moment, but it was gone before she could tell what it was. "No."

"Why not?"

"I don't think Anne would like that very much."

"But you're dancing with me."

"You're my friend."

"So is Pansy, and she's been your friend much longer than I have."

She got him there, and he had no idea of what to say. "Yeah, but…"

"Blaise, if you want to dance with her, dance with her. You can't let a girl control who you talk to, who you dance with, and what you do."

"Anne doesn't do that; I just don't want to upset her. She's a very sweet girl."

"I know she is, but if you want to dance with your friend, it shouldn't upset her."

"I guess…"

"Go for it. At least one dance. What harm could it possibly do?"

Famous last words, those have always been.

* * *

-

* * *

"Hey, Pansy. How has your night been so far?"

"Great, thank you. And yours?"

"Wonderful. I danced with Gin Gin. She looks wonderful. Did you have anything to do with that?"

"Not much, actually. She wanted to do most of it on her own."

"Hm. Would you dance with me? And then we can go set up?" Pansy smiled.

"I thought you'd never ask." Blaise thought that she was being sarcastic, as always, but she actually meant it. "Where's Anne? And won't she not like this?"

"She went to get ready, and even if she saw me, I wouldn't care. A little redhead made that clear to me. I don't want to upset Anne, but if I want to dance with my friends, I will."

"Oh." Pansy's heart fell. She was only a friend to him; that's all she'd ever be, and she knew it. That didn't stop her from hurting, though.

Blaise led her to the dance floor, and she thought to herself that she would enjoy this dance. It was the most intimate she'd ever get with him, and she wouldn't spend the time brooding. She gave him an award-winning smile, and unknown to her, his heart melted.

"We should probably get going soon," Draco said after the two danced. He gave Blaise a knowing look, but Blaise looked away, pretending to be interested in something on the other side of the room.

"Yeah, you're right," Pansy said, and they left the Great Hall. "Are the others already there setting up the tables and such?" Draco nodded.

"They told me when they left a little while ago that they'd set up as soon as they changed and got there. Pansy, you'll be at the door for the first shift, alright?"

"Sure thing."

"Blaise?"

"Greeting people with Pans and making sure no one who's not on the list gets in. I set up that security device yesterday. Even if we don't open the door, I can see who's out there."

"Perfect."

"You know me, Drakey. You shouldn't have to ask these things." Draco rolled his eyes and mock-glared at Blaise.

"Don't call me that. It reminds me too much of Greengrass – who, by the way, was ALL over me tonight. I want slut-repellant. Doesn't anyone make such a thing? Maybe I should tell the Weasley twins. They'd make a fortune off of it." Blaise and Pansy were full out laughing, now.

"Oh Draco, you make my life complete," Pansy said between dying giggles.

"I'm so pleased that you get off on my humiliation and annoyedness."

Blaise's eyes went so wide, Pansy thought they would stretch. He pointed at Draco and laughed. "You made up a word! Our Drakey _doesn't_ have a stick up his arse! WOOHOO!"

"Oh shut up, will you?" he said, but the corners of his mouth pulled up in a smirk, anyway.

* * *

-

* * *

It was getting late, and Ginny wanted to get ready for the Slytherin party early so that she could have more time there. When Hermione wasn't looking, she gave Ron a thumbs up, and disappeared into the corridor. There were still many people in the Great Hall, but she still had to get dressed and had makeup to do. Tomboy she may be, but she'd be damned if she hastily applied it and didn't look perfect for what she had planned for Draco later that night…or early morning, depending on how late the party went. She noticed that Draco, Blaise, and Pansy left the Great Hall about half an hour ago – to get the Room of Requirement ready, she assumed.

Yes, she would look _amazing_. She wanted to do this for Draco, but she also wanted vengeance on Ron, no matter how touching his performance was earlier. He may have forgiven her…for what, she'll never know…but she wasn't about to forgive him so easily. She wanted him to be accepting of her. The final test to see how he would react would come at the Slytherin party. No, she would not forgive him for treating her like a dog. She was not a whore, and she didn't wear slutty clothes, but she'd rather run around naked before she wore the conservative clothes he wanted her to wear. Oh, she would make sure he paid dearly. She smirked.

Fred and George had offered their 'professional services' in helping her to exact revenge, but she declined. She would do this on her own. She could be very cunning and sneaky when she wanted to be, and the only reason the sorting hat didn't put her in Slytherin was because she was and is too headstrong, hotheaded, and while she is a great planner, she prefers to act first and think later. Being eleven years old, she didn't really have much to say to the hat after he told her this, and she scurried over to Gryffindor with her brothers. She was happy there, and loved her house, but sometimes she wondered what it would have been like to have grown up in Slytherin.

She made it to her house, finally, and slipped inside with a compliment on her outfit from the Fat Lady. She went up to her room and started rummaging through her things when she heard the door open behind her.

"Ginny?" Ginny turned and saw Trinity in the doorway of their room.

"Hey, Trin. What's up?"

"I saw you leave and I assumed you were going to get ready for the Slytherin party, so I followed you."

"Oh, ok. Yeah, I am. So what are you wearing?" Trinity's expression turned to a very Slytherin-like smirk.

"You'll see once I get it out." She walked over to the wardrobe next to her bed and picked it out. Ginny's eyes widened when Trinity held up the top.

"That's sexy. Where did you get it?"

"Pandora's Box in Hogsmeade."

"Heh, I never had the guts to go in there."

"I'll go with you on our next trip. I go to the one by my house all the time."

"Okay…"

"Oh don't worry. It has a lot of sexual things there but it also has a great underwear and corset section. Well what are we waiting for? We don't want to be early but we don't want to be really late to this party. Get out your things and get dressed."

Ginny laughed at her friend's antics and then got dressed. She wanted to add fishnets to her outfit, but it didn't work with the lace on the bottom of the skirt, so she left them out. She dug around in her wardrobe for Draco's tie and slipped it on.

Trinity whistled when she looked up and saw Ginny. "You're going to have to beat the guys off you with a stick." It was Ginny's turn to laugh, then wink at Trinity. "Can you tie my corset please?"

"Sure." Ginny made her way over to Trinity, who turned her back to the redhead and held onto the bedposts for support. Ginny took the laces and pulled until Trinity was comfortably uncomfortable, then tied them. "You say I'm going to have to beat the guys off with a stick, but Fred is going to have to chase them away from you with a beater's club." Trinity gave Ginny a fake scathing look and the other girl laughed. "What are you wearing as bottoms?" All Trinity had on was pajama shorts she put on for changing in front of Ginny. Normally, she wouldn't care because she had no modesty but Ginny did.

"Black denim shorts."

"Shoes?"

"High heels, of course."

"Fred is gonna have a heart attack. Don't kill my brother, please."

"Ha! Don't worry. He's the one who has to worry about hiding what he thinks of my outfit in front of everyone." Aurora walked in to Ginny's horror-struck face and Trinity's cackling.

"TRINITY!"

"My goodness, what's going on in here?" Ginny turned towards her and pointed at Trinity, who couldn't stop laughing at Ginny's expression.

"She…she…she…my brother!"

"What?"

"I s-said something about Fred's reaction to my outfit in front of everyone at the party," Trinity explained, trying to calm herself down.

"Ohh. Well doesn't it feel grand to get a taste of your own medicine, Ginny?"

Ginny's eyes widened in shock. "Aurora!"

"Fred is so hooooot, Fred is the hottest guy in school, oh how handsome he is! Oh, Fred! Yeah, see how it feels?" she asked, smirking evilly.

Ginny wailed and threw herself on her bed. "But this is different! I never said anything sexual about Draco!"

"Ohhhhhh but the revenge is so sweet. How is he, Trinity? In bed?"

"AHHHHHH!"

"Too good to properly explain," The black haired girl said in return, trying to hold back a smirk.

"I'm outta here." Ginny flew out of the room and closed the door to wait in the hallway for her friends, who, she could still hear, were laughing hysterically. Just as she rolled her eyes, she heard a door close down the hall and footsteps walking towards her. She turned and saw bleached blonde hair on dark, tanned skin, a bright red skirt that didn't leave much to the imagination, and a black, sleeveless top that left even less. Her heels were black as well, and added about four inches to her original height. The girl sneered.

"Well well, do you look like a slut or what?"

"No, I don't look like you, Mayes. Nor would I ever want to."

Brittany was about to retort, when her eyes widened and she leaned forward to take a closer look at Ginny. "Is that a SLYTHERIN tie?"

"Why yes, actually. It's Malfoy's," Ginny said, putting on her best Slytherin smirk.

"How could you wear such a thing? You're defiling the Gryffindor name!"

"One, I'm wearing it because it's my friend's tie and my other friend, Blaise, thought that it completed my outfit. Two, it's you who defiles the Gryffindor name, not I. Here you are, hating me for 'fraternizing with the enemy' when this so-called 'enemy' is just another house. I don't defile Gryffindor; my friends and I are, in actuality, the epitome of what Gryffindor should be _because_ we encourage inter-house unity just by being friends with them. Now why don't you run along and stop looking at me like a bug? Your face is rather revolting."

The door opened behind her and both Trinity and Aurora came out, applauding Ginny.

"Couldn't have put it better myself," Aurora said.

"Inter-house unity, huh? You sound very sophisticated," smirked Trinity.

Brittany finally found the ability to speak. "I cannot believe the gall…the nerve you have to talk to me like that! I am of a family of money and sophistication and intelligence – "

"Oh stuff it, princess," Trinity said. "If you were of a family of sophistication and intelligence, you would know that you can't use two and's in a sentence. You use commas." Aurora and Ginny laughed, and Brittany fumed.

"I will take Fred from you, you bush-licking hussy. Mark my words."

Ginny swung at her but Aurora caught her and held her back.

"Sorry, but spoiled little daddy's girls aren't my type, so no, Fred and I won't let you into our group." Trinity laughed while Brittany stomped all the way to the stairs and down them.

"Her comment didn't anger you?" Ginny asked when Aurora let her go.

"No. I don't care what a real whore thinks of me. Sophisticated family, my ass. I wouldn't be surprised if she ended up in a hovel." This got Ginny to laugh, and the girls walked downstairs after they put their cloaks on to hide their outfits in case a stray professor had to use the loo. Then Aurora stopped in her tracks and the other two looked at her curiously.

"How did _she_ get invited to the Slytherin party?"

"Ginny, Darling! So glad you made it. Hello Trinity, Rora. You all look simply ravishing," Pansy said when the three girls walked into the Room of Requirement after saying the password for the party and making sure that no one was in the hallway watching them.

"Hey, Pans," Aurora said, laughing and handing the older girl her cloak to hang up. Theodore, Pansy, Draco, and Blaise were the main hosts of the party, and the rest of the Slytherin committee had different, minor jobs to do. Zack had wanted no part in it but to try to charm the Japanese transfer student who came into Ravenclaw the year before; Kiri Iwamura.

Aurora was wearing a white halter top and fitting, dark low riding jeans with white heels. She kept the magical halo from her costume that floated on top of her head, as well as the beautiful wings Pansy had charmed hours before. Ginny kept her red eyes and fangs, Trinity still had her purple eyes and fangs, and Pansy was still dressed like a pirate except her shirt looked significantly shorter, now showing off her blood red belly button ring that Blaise couldn't seem to stop looking at. Anne took his hand and led him to the drink table, forcing herself to think that Blaise was looking at something that was not Pansy.

She sighed, and tried to think about happier things; she did not have a good feeling about this night.

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**I'm sorry that this Halloween series of chapters is so incredibly long. Usually I have days or a week or two between each chapter, but these last two were one whole day, and the next chapter will be the tail end of that day. I do apologize for this taking so long; I am back in school. I know I know, not a good excuse but hey, I'm trying! I am! I'm thinking about new material to put into this story and my others when I'm not studying.**

**I hope you enjoyed it! Review please! And please don't just 'favorite' this story and/or author, and then not review. It's really disappointing.**


	20. Baby, I'll make you shiver all night

Chapter 20

Thank you all for being patient with me. I finished my last midterm on Wednesday, and I feel so relieved…but now that the midterms are over, I'm starting to think about Nick more and more. Midterms kept me busy and my mind off him. The funeral is on Saturday; he is going to be cremated, but I don't know when.

This chapter is very long, as there is sex galore. Just to warn you.

Anyway, here it is; the last (finally!) of the Halloween chapters.

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-

* * *

Let me know that I've done wrong  
When I've known this all along  
I go around a time or two  
Just to waste my time with you

* * *

-

* * *

Before the golden trio arrived, Ginny would have some wicked fun. Oh she would have fun when they got here, but she'd like to have _some_ time without them breathing down her neck. Well…mostly Ron. Fred and George hadn't arrived yet. She sauntered up to Draco and seductively brushed her hand against his butt, but not so obvious that others would notice. He noticeably shuddered, and turned around to face her. "You make me shiver," he said in a husky voice.

She smirked at him. "Baby, I'll make you shiver all night."

"…" Draco didn't know what to say to that, and watched her wink and walk away, swinging those luscious hips from side to side. Score 1 for Ginny Weasley.

She was one beautiful girl, he thought, and apparently, so did every other single…and some not so single…male in the vicinity. He growled low in his throat and bustled towards the drinks table, not noticing his own behavior.

'_That show was for me,'_ he thought, and that made him smirk. _'That's right. Drool over her. You won't be the ones going home with her tonight.'_ With a reassuring nod of his head, he poured himself some butterbeer; it wouldn't do him any good to get wasted so early. He'd wait until later to have a glass of firewhisky or something else just as hard. He wasn't one for getting drunk, but a good, healthy, tipsy feeling made sex so much better. Draco snorted. _'As if it wasn't already the best sex I've ever had.'_

After a while, the room, which was big to accommodate how many people were showing up, filled considerably. It soon got to the point where you had to maneuver your way through the crowd of people, which was becoming steadily more and more intoxicated. Ginny, however, had had only one mug of butterbeer – her favorite thing to drink when the weather was cold. It had a very low percentage of alcohol, so she could drink a lot of it to warm her up and she wouldn't even feel a buzz.

She could feel all the stares on her, and smirked. _'Come on, Ron. Walk through that door.'_ She wanted to see his reaction so badly. But then she thought of how her brother acted earlier that day, and a wave of guilt washed over her. Suddenly, she didn't want to wear what she was wearing. The skirt really wasn't too short, though, and the top was tight, but only tight enough to show the shape of her body. It wasn't like a second skin, or one of those slinky tops the other girls were wearing. The top Ginny was wearing could be worn on a warm, sunny day. Still, as much as she felt guilty, she wanted Ron to realize that she was her own person. She mingled and waited for him to show up.

"Don't you think you've had enough?" Anne asked as she saw Blaise pick up his fifth glass of alcohol. This time, it was vanilla vodka mixed with milk, sweet rum, and butterscotch schnapps. It tasted like vanilla ice cream.

"I'm fine, Anne. I'm Italian and African American. I can hold my liquor."

"You're slurring your words," she said, crossing her arms over her chest uncomfortable; they've obviously had this argument before.

"Anne, learn to 'ave a little fun. Here; try some," but she pushed his arm away.

"I don't want to try some! I want you to stop drinking!"

"Anne, I rarely drink. Let me have some fun and for goodness sake, stop being my – stop keeping me in a cage!" Her brown eyes widened and tears glistened in them. She turned, her medium length blonde hair swishing with her movement, and left the room. "Shit."

"What's wrong?" Blaise turned and saw Draco and Pansy, who had a little too much to drink, herself.

"Anne was nagging me. She doesn't like when I drink. I told 'er to stop keeping me in a cage…"

"Oh, Blaise," Pansy said, almost in a chiding way. "You don't say that to someone."

"So she can hold me back and I'm supposed to stand here and be tugged along by my leash?"

"She loves you. She doesn't like it when you drink, and I don't blame her. I would hate it if I was with someone and they drank."

"You're fast approaching shit-faced," Blaise deadpanned.

"I'm single, darling. I can drink all I want."

"Well," said Draco, "she's gone, now. Come; have another drink with us. I've decided that it's far enough into the party; I'm going to have some firewhisky."

* * *

-

* * *

"Oh Ron, do stop fuming. She looks amazing. She's a beautiful girl."

"Hermione, she…"

"She what?" Hermione asked, testing him. He was about to say Ginny looked like a whore, but then he thought of Dean Thomas, and his anger rose.

"She IS beautiful, but…"

"Ron, let her wear what she wants to wear. She's at a party; she doesn't wear things like that all the time. And, in case you haven't noticed, jeans are the most common things to wear. EVERYONE wears them. They aren't considered tight, they're just pants. So don't go up to her tomorrow when you see her wearing them and start lecturing her. Oh, and one more thing. Shirts are meant to be tight. Do you honestly want your sister to look like she's fat?"

"SHES NOT FAT!"

"I'm glad my point was taken. I'm going to get a drink. You can accompany me or stay here. Your choice." Ron sulked but followed, not wanting to take any risks of getting her angrier; she already forgave him and danced with him at the masquerade. He was NOT going to screw this up again.

_Flashback_

"_Hey…" _

"_Hi."_

"_Um…I…I know I've…been a…" Hermione watched him, amused and curious of what he was going to say. She had been very upset with how far apart they've grown from each other. And simply because she chose to be Aurora's friend and be civil with Draco. "An arse…and many more things…I'm sure you have a few choice words for me…but…I did it because of Ginny," he blurted out. "I just hate it when blokes rake her with their eyes! It's disgusting, wrong, and…and…it makes me want to kill them!" Hermione smiled and her heart warmed at Ron's words. _

"_Ron, that's very sweet."_

"_?" He was confused; she should have spat venomous words at him, even though he was apologizing. But, she did always surprise him with how mature she was for her age. _

"_I knew the reasons for your anger, and I did think that your actions were extremely hurtful, wrong, and damaging to Ginny, but it is really great to hear your reasons from you. That you just don't want guys looking at her like that."_ _Ron hung his head and his face reddened, but Hermione took his hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. _"_I think you really have to change your attitude, Ron, but once you do, and control your anger, I can guarantee that everything will fall back into place. I don't like when we don't talk. And I don't want the three of us to grow apart."_

"_I'm sorry I got so…angry with you just because you call Malfoy by his first name…and get along with him…that…"_

"_That you were jealous?"_

"_I…what? No!"_

"_Ron, you _were_ jealous. That I was spending time with him and not with you."_

"_!" Ron was fuming because he didn't know what to say, and he didn't want to admit just how jealous he had been._

"_You know, it's okay to be jealous," she said. "It's a normal feeling. And it's sweet. It shows how much you care."_

"_I really don't like that you hang out with him…but I'm not going to force you to do anything."_

"_Well, thank you for not trying to force me…even though you couldn't if you tried…but I'm not just going to stop hanging out with him. He is my partner as Head Boy and slowly becoming my friend. You'll just have to deal with it." He looked really angry, and she was impressed that he hadn't blown up by now. Her face softened. "Ron, I…we…what are we?"_

"_Huh? What do you mean? We're friends. We've been friends for six years or so." He noticed her saddened face when she dropped his hand and looked away. His heart sped up. 'Oh no…that was the wrong thing to say…idiot!' he thought. "I…Hermione, what do you want me to say? We aren't really anything but friends. Nothing has happened to make us anything else. Yeah, I've set that even further back than what it was before, and I feel really stupid, but what can I say? We aren't a couple. We aren't romantic at all. If I say what you want me to say, it will be fake." _

_Hermione raised her head to look up at him. She was so impressed by his rare show of maturity that she was at a loss for words. She never even thought that he had the capability of being that mature and that perceptive._

"_I…don't know what to say to that. You…are acting so mature, that I don't know what to do. It seems that we have to start from the beginning…and get to know each other. Not how we think we know each other now, but to begin the process again. All we know is how to fight and argue." _

"_Will you dance with me, Hermione?" Her heart swelled when she took his outstretched hand and was led to the dance floor. She had a good feeling about this. _

_End flashback_

"Let me get it for you," he said suddenly, after being brought out of his reverie. Hermione looked mildly surprised, and nodded.

"Thank you. A butterbeer, please." Ron walked over to the drinks table, where Theodore Nott was the current bartender. He smiled to himself; that was definitely a point in his favor. He would also be nice to Ginny. That would make him feel better, and get on Hermione's good side again.

"Hey, Gin," he said as he passed her.

She stopped and her eyes widened in shock; he was supposed to be angry, like he was when he first saw her! "So I'm allowed to wear my favorite style of clothing, now?"

"Ginny…I…look, I'm sorry, alright? I'm sorry. Stop making this hard for me."

"Don't even go there, Ron. I was called a whore for weeks, so don't tell me how hard I'm making this for you. I think I'm being quite reasonable."

"Do you want a drink?" Ron asked, changing the subject. "I'm getting two butterbeers, one for Hermione. She's over there," he said, pointing to a corner. She was sitting with Harry and Aurora, chatting. George and Fred were dancing with Amanda and Trinity, or they'd be sitting there, as well.

"Wow. You're encouraging alcoholism in me. What would mum think?"

He wacked her arm. "What do you want? Say it, or you're not getting any."

Ginny laughed. "I think I'm ready for something hard. I've been drinking butterbeer since I arrived. Um…a sex on the beach."

"You want sex on a beach?" Draco asked, looking over his shoulder at her as he passed her. "I would have never guessed that about you, Red!"

Ron's eyes got to the size of dinner plates and Ginny hit Draco's arm. "You stupid oaf! I want the drink!" Draco walked away, roaring with laughter. "Idiot…"

"You're getting along well with them."

"Hm?" Ginny asked, turning around to look at her brother again.

"The Slytherins. Even Malfoy."

"Oh, yes. Well, Pansy's one of my best friends, and Blaise, Draco, Theo and Zack are hers, as well as Aurora. Because they're now friends with me, so are Fred, George, Trinity, Hermione, and Amanda."

"But you really fit in with their group."

"Well…I never told anyone this. I am very much like Harry, which is why we get along so well, and why I get along well with Slytherins. The sorting hat almost put me in Slytherin."

This really shocked him, and he gaped at her. "WHAT? Really? So why did you end up in Gryffindor?"

"I'm too hotheaded, stubborn, and speak first, ask later. Just like someone else I know," she said, smirking.

He narrowed his eyes at her playfully. "Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"It wasn't important. Sometimes, though, I think about what it would have been like to grow up in Slytherin. I think it would have been pretty awesome, but I like Gryffindor." They started walking, seeing as they were talking and Hermione was waiting.

"You know, I wouldn't have cared."

"I think you would have. At first, at least."

"Maybe at first, but Gin, you're still family. And you're still Ginny."

This warmed her heart more than he realized. "Thank you, Ron." He fidgeted; he was very happy that he made her happy, but he didn't know how to deal with people thanking him. He gave her an awkward smile, and then they reached the table. "Two butterbeers and sex on the beach, please," she said.

"Why, Ginny, I didn't know you felt that way about me."

"Theo!"

"What?"

"Give me my drink."

He pouted, but relented. "Oh, fine." She was about to place her money on the table when Ron slapped a few coins down and pushed her hand away. "Thank you…"

"Don't mention it. Let's go back; Hermione will be wondering what took me so long."

* * *

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* * *

"Oh MERLIN, Fred. Stop teasing me." Trinity pushed him off of her and pinned him to the bed. She and Fred met halfway and continued with what they started. She thanked the gods for the invention of anti-pregnancy charms; she hated condoms.

"Will you ride me the rest of the way?" Fred asked, almost innocently.

"Anything you want, baby. Just keep going."

"Man, you're kinky. I love that about you." She winked at him, the sweat glistening on her body gave her an ethereal look.

"Kinky is my middle name, darling." She reached down to cup what wasn't already inside her. He gave a jerk, and wrapped his arms around her. She leaned forward and held onto him as He came first and she not too far behind.

* * *

-

* * *

"Wannadance with me again?"

"WhattaboutAnne?"

"She'ss in 'er room. She won see us. I…liked dancin' withoo at the maskrade."

"I did, too…" Pansy's already red face reddened further, thinking about the dance she had with Blaise earlier that evening. Of course, being absolutely sloshed, the memory was making her body do things she could have suppressed had she been sober. The same, of course, was happening to Blaise. The music was blaring Rob Zombie's Living Dead Girl, and he pulled her up against him, kept his arm around her waist, and put his other arm around her with his hand on her back, pulling her even closer. Heat and electricity jolted through both their bodies when Pansy felt Blaise's erection against her. She gripped his shoulders and their breath became short and jagged. At that point, all logic flew out the window.

* * *

-

* * *

"Harry…"

"What?"

"Love, not here…kiss me in public, hold my hand in public, but don't bite my neck in public. I'm sorry; I just feel…awkward."

"Even if everyone around us is drunk off their arses?"

"Yes…I'm sorry if I offended you, I'm just not comfortable with that…"

"Love, it's okay. Don't think I'd be mad because of that!" He kissed her soundly. "Do you want…to…go back to the dorm?"

Her cheeks flushed, but she nodded.

They made their way out of the room after Aurora got her cloak. When they reached the Gryffindor portrait hole, Aurora said the password and they shuffled inside. At this point, her heart was pounding. Harry looked around to make sure no one saw them, and he brought her up the boy's stairs. He opened his door and they slipped inside, unnoticed.

At this point, her heart was pounding. She and Harry had talked about making love to each other, but she had never done it before, and she wanted to, but she didn't know what would happen.

"Harry, I…"

"What's wrong?"

"I…I don't know. I'm scared."

"Love, what are you scared of?"

"That…something will change. That our relationship won't be the same. That it might become awkward or bad or…"

"Aurora, listen to me." He placed his hands on her shoulders. "I will always love you. I know we're young, but I promise you that I will. Things do change, and people do change, but why think negatively? Why not think of it as if there will be a change at all, why won't it be happy? A good change? Nothing will change unless it's for the better. I haven't done this before…you haven't done this before. It makes it more special, I think."

She smiled softly at him. "I'm sorry…I'm just getting cold feet. I'm scared. I don't want anything to happen to us."

"If you don't want this yet, it really is fine. I would like to…obviously…but I won't ever do anything to harm you in any way, especially trying to make you do this. It's your choice. But, I do promise that nothing will happen to us. No matter what we do – if we do this or not, it won't change anything. I'll only love you more as each day passes."

"Who knew you could be such a romantic, Harry Potter?" He chuckled and brushed a few strands of hair away from her beautiful face. Then, he was surprised when she kissed him, and gently pushed him towards the bed. His words gave her a newfound confidence, and she wasn't going to let anything spoil this night.

They made it to Harry's bed, when he closed the drapes and cast a silencing spell around them. He lovingly kissed Aurora's lips, and proceeded to take her shirt off. He did this very slowly, giving her enough time to think everything over if she needed to. She lifted his shirt from him and pulled him down so she could nibble his neck. He placed his hand underneath her back and pulled her up away from the bed so he could unclasp her bra and let it slide away from her body. He took her ivory breasts into his hands and resisted the intense urge to ravage her right then and there.

"Harry…"

"What is it?" he asked, his voice clouded with lust and love for the beautiful woman in front of him.

"I love you."

He smiled. "I love you, too, and that's not going to change. Am I going too fast?"

"No, you're going too slow!" They both laughed and he fell to the side of her. She rolled over and let her head rest on his chest.

"I really do love you."

"I know you do, Harry."

He pulled her up on top of him and began to make a trail of kisses from her mouth to her neck, then down to her breasts, and moaned when he felt her fumbling with his quidditch pants. He helped her get them off, his boxers coming off with them. She shivered above him, feeling him against her and seeing him in all his glory. And she realized that she loved this man more than she originally thought she did. Not because of his nudity, but because of how calm and comfortable he was with her. She was a shy person and she knew he was, too. She was always self conscious about her body, but she let him slide her jeans down her legs anyway. She kicked them off and shuddered when she felt him reach up and cup her. His fingers gently moved over the fabric of her underwear so lightly that Aurora sucked in her breath. She couldn't take what he was doing to her, and so, she wrapped her hand around him and began to stroke.

"Oh my god, Aurora…you can't keep doing that if you want this to happen…" She smiled and her strokes became faster until he was sure he'd burst, but then she stopped. "That was torture…" He turned her over and took her underwear off, after which he slid two fingers into her and causing her to arch her back in sheer pleasure. He stroked her this time, and actually brought her to climax. "See? I'm not that cruel."

When he removed his hand, he grabbed his wand and cast anticoncepta on her – he learned it from Fred. When he dropped his wand on the floor next to his bed, she guided him into her. "Harry?"

"Hm?"

"Be…gentle, please."

"Of course." He felt a resistance, and wanted to go further, but he promised to be gentle and he would be. He pulled out and pushed back into her, and repeated this until he was satisfied with how content she was. Then he, not forcefully but swiftly, got through. She gasped, but did not feel pain. She probably had all those years of quidditch to thank for that. Harry continued at a faster pace than before, and they moved together; their love for each other growing with each passing moment, knowing that the other was comfortable and felt quite safe.

* * *

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* * *

Clothes were being thrown to the floor at a rapid rate. The two people in the room were grasping at each other, touching each other, and kissing each other with fervor. He picked her up and almost threw her onto his bed once they were nude, following not far behind. He braced himself above her with his strong arms and lowered himself to meet her lips, grinding his hips against hers. This left both of them moaning and aching for more contact, so he did just that. He flipped over onto his back and lowered her onto him.

The pleasure was almost painful; they both kept wanting more, no matter how much they received. As she lifted herself up with her legs, he helped with his hands. They continued like this for about five minutes, and changed positions. She was on her hands and knees, and he took her from behind, his drunkenness being the cause of his inability to have control. He did not slam into her, as it could be so crudely said, but he wasn't gentle, and she definitely didn't mind.

Just enough alcohol to make you tipsy makes for great sex. However, too much alcohol keeps you aching for more and more, so it is very hard to be satisfied. This is what happened to Pansy and Blaise. After the party, they stumbled, almost falling, to Slytherin. When they reached Blaise's room without Anne seeing them, he locked his door and they proceeded to nearly rip each other's clothes off.

Pansy was currently lying on her back with her left leg held up by Blaise's shoulder. She let her leg fall to the side and they gripped each other in ecstasy as they both climaxed together. They fell asleep soon after, laying in each other's arms, and, not realizing until probably late the next morning, that their actions that night would significantly change their lives.

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**Draco and Ginny's scene will be in the next chapter as a flashback because I just can't make this chapter THAT long. Sorry! But I am in the writing mood, so I shall write more very soon. I hope you enjoyed it!**


	21. The Morning After

Chapter 21

I hope you liked the last chapter. I'm sorry if there hasn't been much plot; I really am working on it. I had to set the story before I got into the main action, but it will be coming soon! Pay attention to the tunnel Fred and George are working on. I won't say why, but pay attention to it.

**NOTE AND APOLOGY:** I want to clarify something. There is a very important reason for why I had Blaise and Pansy do what they did. I never intended for someone to get hurt in the process; it just happened that way. Stories write themselves; we are just their pawns. Besides, people DO get hurt in real life. Not everything is puppies and rainbows.

Anyway, I do apologize if some of you are not happy with the way things turned out, but they had to happen that way. I had to get Anne out of the picture somehow, and this was the only way. Blaise would never admit that he likes Pansy, and Pansy would never admit she likes Blaise. There has always been attraction between them but they refuse to admit it.

If Blaise did have feelings for Anne, and only thought Pansy was attractive, no matter how drunk he got, he would never cheat on Anne. He is not a cheater, and he WILL beat himself up over this. He gets very depressed about it, and so does Pansy. She's not one to do that to someone, rival or not.

I have something planned for Anne; a happy ending, so don't worry. Also, she knew her relationship with Blaise wasn't doing well, but she really liked him, almost loved, and so she kept telling herself to ignore it and keep going.

Just please believe me when I say this needed to happen, and you will soon find out why. It is crucial to the story.

Also…I'm sorry for the scene between Fred and Trinity! I know I might have burned some eyes…including my own…lol…I don't write like that EVER. I guess I just wanted to show that they're different from other couples…also, I haven't written a scene between them yet…

Enjoy!

* * *

-

* * *

I go around a time or two

Just to waste my time with you

Tell me all that you've thrown away

Find out games you don't wanna play

* * *

-

* * *

Sunlight filtered into the room from the enchanted windows, flitting across Pansy's face. She shook her head a little, and opened her eyes. She turned her body away from the sunlight, and saw a room that wasn't hers…and a body that wasn't supposed to be in her bed.

She sat up, the movement jolting Blaise awake. "Wa's wrong?"

"Blaise! I'm in your room!"

"So?"

"I _slept_ here last night!"

"…Okay?"

"Blaise…don't you remember anything?" she asked, now frantic and slightly disappointed.

But then, his eyes shot open and he sat up. "Oh my G-d…I…Anne!"

"What?" Pansy looked hurt, and he quickly tried to let her know what he was thinking.

"Anne. She left the party and I got shit-faced. You and I both got shit-faced. We went to my room and…oh MERLIN. Pansy! I don't cheat! I'm not a cheater!" Blaise looked so upset, she couldn't help but feel bad for him.

"Blaise…you're not a cheater –"

"How can I not be a cheater when I did this to her? I have to explain…I have to break up with her. She'll never take this in stride. She's too conservative, and she doesn't deserve this."

Then it really hit her. "Blaise, we're best friends!"

"Yeah, I know."

"Best friends don't do things like this with each other! We had sex, Blaise! Sex!"

"Pansy."

"I can't believe how drunk we got!"

"PANSY."

"How could I have been so stupid?"

"PANSY!"

"What?"

"Why are you freaking out?"

"Because we –"

"Slept together, I know. But…you regret it?"

Pansy's heart gave a lurch when she realized she sounded like she didn't want this to happen, and her face fell at Blaise's innocent-sounding words. "No, Blaise…that's not what I meant…I…of course I wanted it…just…not like that."

She looked away, but he took her chin in his hand and gently made her look at him. "Neither did I, but it did happen, and all we can do now is move forward instead of continuing to ignore our feelings for each other. I like you, Pansy. A lot. I always have…and…maybe…"

"Maybe what?" she asked in anticipation.

"I want to take things very slowly, but I would also like…to…be with you you. If you want to. I've just never had the courage to tell you."

She beamed. "I would love that."

He looked relieved, and really happy. "I really want this to last…and I don't want to mess it up."

"Me neither. But you do have to break up with Anne…I…won't share you."

"I know…I think we should wait a while until we really start dating. It wouldn't be fair to her because she'd feel like I dropped her and she meant nothing to me at all, and it wouldn't be fair to you because people would call you a whore and a 'boyfriend stealer.' I won't mess this up…will I?"

"I can mess it up just as easily as you can…but I don't think you could do anything to mess it up. Yes, it's fresh, but we have an advantage that most couples don't. I've known you since I was born, and we've been best friends since then. But even if we do screw it up, I'll still love you because you're my best friend and you always will be."

"I love you, too, you know. As a friend!…For now, anyway." Pansy couldn't stop the smile that was spreading across her face. "I think I just made your day. Or week, whichever you prefer. Year, maybe?"

She swatted his arm. "You have no idea."

"I can't believe I didn't ask you out before this…I've always wanted to, for as long as I can remember."

"I've been waiting that long." Blaise pulled her to him and kissed her softly. He then kissed her passionately, and they came out of it breathless. "Blaise?"

"Hm?"

"I know we slept together last night, but…that was under the influence of alcohol, and not what we would have done had we not been drunk. I'd…like to wait, I guess, a little while at least, before we do it again."

"I agree with you. Like I said, I want to take this slowly so we don't mess it up. Though I can't see how you could possibly mess anything up."

She smiled. "Anyone can."

"And…I'm really torn up about Anne…" His face went from happy to depressed in about a second.

She pulled him gently back so that he was lying next to her and they woke up two hours later, only then realizing that they had fallen asleep.

* * *

-

* * *

"Ginny…Gin, get up."

"Mmm."

"Red, come on. Wake up."

"Iduwanna."

"It's twelve in the afternoon. We both have homework to do, and your friends will wonder where you are. Plus, there's that map to be wary of."

Ginny groaned. She moved onto her back, her body feeling pleasantly sore from their activities last night.

"I have the map. Give me one good reason to get out of bed." So Draco stood and walked around the bed to stand in front of her in all his glory, just out of her reach. She made a frustrated noise when she reached for him but he was too far away. "That's not fair! I was talking about something along the lines of pleasure." She pouted, which made him laugh.

"Work awaits us, darling."

"Don't you talk to me like I'm your wife, _dear_. I want your body and I want it now!" He took a few steps back, laughing and taking great pleasure in getting her riled up. He just wanted her to stand so he could see her fully. Which she eventually did, after getting too fed up to care about staying in bed anymore. He started to harden just by the sight of her, which she was well aware of and used that to her advantage every time they were together. "Oh _now_ you want to play."

He took her in his arms. She almost purred when he kissed her. "You are so beautiful…"

Her heart skipped a beat when he said this, which wasn't often at all, but was becoming slightly more frequent. She cherished every time it happened. She didn't think he loved her. She didn't even think she loved him, but she was becoming very confused these days. She was growing more and more fond of him, more protective of him, and there was a definite change in his attitude and protectiveness towards her from when they first got involved to now. The problem was, she was always someone who needed to know what was going on, everything that was happening, and she had no idea of where they were going with this relationship. She was scared of losing him, and it was those times when she fancied herself in love with him, but then she thought about it more, and decided she was not.

And then, there was the sex. It was absolutely mind blowing, and she loved it. He could be a little rough and adventurous, or gentle and sweet, like last night.

_Flashback_

"_Draco, this is…"_

"_A surprise?"_

"_A very pleasant surprise." He felt giddy and very pleased. They had reached Draco's portrait hole after making sure Hermione wasn't in the common room and climbed the stairs. When Draco opened the door was when Ginny's jaw dropped and she was put at a loss for words. _

_The room was filled with everlasting candles and a beautiful scent that smelled like sandalwood incense. With a wave of his wand, soft, zen music came on and he led her to the bed. He slowly lifted her shirt and she raised her arms above her head to make it easier for him. He followed the rise and fall of her breasts with his eyes, taking in her body hungrily. He wanted to be gentle, though, and make this a very sensual experience. He was rarely sensual, and he has wanted to be more recently for reasons he couldn't explain, really. _

"_I love how comfortable you've become with me," he said. She blushed lightly. He reached around her to unclasp her bra, leaning in a little more to feel her chest on his; something he had started to do lately, and she certainly didn't mind. _

_Her bra fell away but, before he could go further, he took his pants off. She looked at him with a puzzled expression, and he grinned sheepishly. _

"_They were getting way too tight." She chuckled and pulled down on his boxers. Once they were gone, she took him into her mouth and he shivered. Every time she did that was ecstasy. She was a drug, and he was addicted to her. Every look, every touch, was intoxicating. "Ginny…stop, Ginny, or you'll make me explode." _

_She sat up and smirked._ "_Isn't that what you want?"_

"_When I'm in you, yes. Over and over again." _

_She slid off the bed and stood, slowly swishing her hips from side to side as she slid her skirt off. It piled on the floor at her feet and she stepped out of it. He went after her, pulling off his own shirt, having discarded his cape when they first entered the room. He grabbed her butt and pulled her to him, pressing their bodies together. They gasped at the contact, and Draco backed her into the wall. He began to grind against her and she moved with him until she could not stand it any longer. She pushed him away from her and led him to the bed. Somehow, on the way, her underwear vanished. It was somewhere on the floor; she'd find it later._

_When she was on her back, he held her hips steady and slid into her. They started at a slow pace, which was agonizingly pleasurable, but if they continued like that, it would be over too soon. He moved faster and faster, and slowed down again. She knew he was teasing her, but she took pleasure in knowing that it was teasing him, too. _

_End flashback_

Yes, there was the sex. He was so wonderfully gentle sometimes. It was that kind of sex she loved the most. She could believe he loved her and she, him, and not worry about anything. It was when it was over, the day after, when she would begin to worry again. She was full of confusion, but was too scared to bring it up with him. Apparently, she didn't have to be scared of that any longer, for he did it for her.

"Ginny?"

His innocent sounding use of her name brought her out of her thoughts and she looked at him. "Yes?"

"I think I lost you for a minute, there."

"Oh, sorry."

"What were you thinking about?"

And once she was sure of her decision, of their relationship, he would go and ask something like that. Before she got involved with him, she thought of him as a person who only got involved with women to have sex with them, not to ask about their thoughts. And she definitely didn't think they would last as long as they had.

"Oh, it's nothing."

"Tell me."

"I…I really don't want to talk about it with you…just yet, at least."

"Please?"

How could she refuse him? That face, that voice? "I…don't want to, but you asked, so please don't…don't leave me just because I'm telling you –"

"Whoa wait, leave you? You're afraid I'm going to leave you?" Her eyes became glassy, and he pulled her to him again, resting his chin on her right shoulder. "Ginny, why are you afraid of that?"

"Because I used to think of you as the kind of person who would get bored of someone after a while. I know you better than that now, but it's still in my mind and I can't get it out…and I don't know where we're going with this…and…"

He pulled his head away from her shoulder and looked her straight in the eyes. "Ginny, listen to me. I have never been in a relationship where I didn't care about the girl. They just never worked out. I understand your want for an answer, but I don't have one yet. I don't know where this is going, either. I've never been with someone as long as I've been with you, and, to tell you the truth – at first, I thought this would just be a fling. But I realized that it was more than that a while ago. It's not just sex to me, Gin. I…do…care about you." She knew that was hard for him to say, which made her cherish it all the more. "So, I may not know where this is going, but I don't want it to stop."

She leaned in to kiss him, and smiled. "Thank you."

He smiled at her, and kissed her again. "Let's just see where this goes. I only want you, no one else. I guess…what I'm trying to say is, I want it to be just us."

"I assumed it was," she answered.

"So did I, but I wanted to clarify that while we're on this subject. I wanted to know if that's what you wanted, too."

"I'm monogamous, Draco. I would never even dream of going off to someone else. I just never thought that I would be involved with you, or any Slytherin, at that."

He smirked. "You just couldn't resist me, huh?"

She shook her head and smiled. "No, I couldn't."

He let his forehead rest on hers, and looked into her wonderfully brown eyes, her face blurred by his eyes trying to focus because he was so close to her. "We should get going."

She sighed. "Fine…I _do_ have work to do…"

"So do I. If you want, I can find Blaise, Pansy, Zack, and Theo and we can all meet up downstairs in my common room. Ask your brothers and Rora and…the people I can stand. I can't remember all of their names."

Ginny laughed. "I'll see who wants to come. But I have to get work done! Not hang out."

"I know. We usually do work together. I find it easier to get things done with people around me."

"I'll go back to Gryffindor to get my stuff and ask them." She turned around to get her clothes when she felt a warm hand squeeze her butt. She whirled around and was caught in Draco's strong arms, then properly kissed.

"If I didn't have so much work to do…you'd be on my bed begging for mercy."

She shivered. "I wouldn't beg for mercy. I'd beg for more of you."

He kissed her again and reluctantly released her, hard once again. "You already have me," he said, smirking. She smiled and retrieved her clothes. They quietly snuck downstairs, made sure Hermione wasn't in the common room, and left, each going their separate ways.

* * *

-

* * *

"You did WHAT?"

"I cheated on her, Draco. I cheated!" Blaise held his head in his hands, on the verge of a breakdown.

"With Pansy!" Blaise nodded. "Have you told her yet?" He shook his head. "Merlin…Blaise, you have to tell her before this gets out."

"She's such a good person! She doesn't deserve this!" he nearly shouted.

"I know, but it happened, and you can't fix the past. What's done is done, and all you can do now is move on and try to make this as easy on her as possible."

"Draco, I don't cheat. I'm not a cheater! WHY DID I DO THIS?"

"Because you were beyond shit-faced and when people are drunk, their emotions are amplified. If you still had feelings for Anne, you wouldn't have chea…er, had sex with Pansy. This tells you that you no longer have feelings for her. Honestly, mate, you and Pans have been impossible these past few years. It's clear you both really like each other to everyone but yourselves. It's about time."

"But why did it have to happen THIS way? Why Anne? Why couldn't I have been dating a whore who deserves this?"

"Maybe this had to happen. Everything happens for a reason, Blaise. Don't beat yourself up over it."

"How can I not?" he asked so innocently. "How could I have done this to her? She _asked _me to stop drinking! If I had just listened to her and not made that awful comment about her being a cage to me, this wouldn't have happened!"

"Maybe not, but then, you wouldn't have shacked up with Pansy and your relationship would continue with being boring and uneventful while you and Pansy continue to skirt around the issue."

"Draco…I can't believe I…I don't DO things like this. I'm not a bad person!"

Draco actually saw tears filling up his best friend's eyes, and his heart gave a squeeze. "I…I'm sorry, mate. I don't know what to tell you other than that. But you're not a bad person." He put a hand on Blaise's shoulder. "I suggest you talk to her today. Now would be the best time. Go find her, tell her _exactly_ what you told me, and hope for the best."

"The best? What would the best be? Anne's depression? Her broken heart? People pitying her?"

"I don't know, Blaise, but whatever it will be, it will be the best of what she could feel. At least you're not some uncaring bloke who would just blow her off and break her heart even more." Blaise hid his eyes in his hands to hide his tears. Best friend or not, Blaise did not want Draco to see him like this. "I'm going back to my common room to meet up with people and do some work. Join us when you're done talking to her and bring me aside to tell me what happened."

"Okay…"

Draco got up and, with a forlorn look at his best friend, left the room. "Well, I guess Blaise and Pansy aren't coming to study with us…"

* * *

-

* * *

"Come in." Blaise opened the door when he heard his girlfriend's voice. He was so glad Salazar Slytherin thought placing girls and boys in separate dorms was pointless. "Oh, hi."

"Hi…"

When she saw the depressed expression on his face, she got worried. "Blaise? What's wrong?"

"Anne, I…" _'I can't cry. Even if I do, she'll think I am trying to manipulate her.'_

"You're worrying me," she said.

"I…don't know how to start…what I want to say."

"Start from the beginning."

"I don't know where the beginning is."

"I don't know, Blaise, just tell me! You're worrying me!"

"You don't deserve me," he blurted out.

Her big brown eyes widened. "What? Why do you say that?"

"Because I'm a dirty asshole who deserves to be with nothing better than a whore, and you are better than a princess."

"Blaise, what are you going on about?" She was really worried, now. She had no idea what he did, but she figured Pansy had something to do with it. Her heart hammered in her chest – she was going to lose him.

"I…I should have listened to you, Anne. I'm sorry for drinking, I'm sorry for snapping at you and calling you my cage. You're not! You're everything but. I was just annoyed, I guess…and I'm sorry. After you left, I…drank so much more, and…I can barely remember what happened but I do know what happened…"

"What happened?"

"I…woke up this morning, and…" Cursed tears! They would not stop! He furiously brushed them away. "I'm sorry for not being able to control myself…I'm not trying to manipulate you and make you feel sorry for me…I woke up with…with Pansy in…my bed…" He cringed at Anne's harsh intake of breath. "I know this is cliché to say, but I really did not EVER mean to hurt you. EVER. I did mean to talk to you about our relationship…but I never meant to hurt you. I never wanted this to happen. I never thought about…cheating…ever. I'm not a cheater, Anne. I'm not."

Tears were running down her cheeks, now. "You were…drunk…"

"No, don't you try to make excuses for me. And being drunk is NOT an excuse. If you really love someone, you would never cheat on them. I'm so sorry. I don't…love you. I thought I did, but I don't. I don't love Pansy, but I…do have feelings for her. Don't make excuses for a dirty rotten scumbag. And don't take pity on me, either. I know you. You're compassionate and see the good in everyone. You would try to write this off as a mistake. It was a mistake, but it still happened, and it didn't mean nothing. I won't say it did. I won't lie to you. You're too good of a person to deserve something like this. I'm sorry for breaking down in front of you; I don't mean to try to get pity from you, or anything other than anger, which you should feel."

Anne had stayed silent during his monologue until she was sure he'd finished. Her shock clearly showed in her eyes, and her sadness on her face.

"I…I always knew you and Pansy were close. I didn't think you two would have feelings for each other…but…as our relationship went on, I noticed subtle things. You would look at each other shyly, you would show body language of two people who needed to realize their feelings for each other…and I pushed it away. I told myself it wasn't true. That I loved you and that I would always be with you. I noticed your withdrawal from me…and I should have talked to you. I should have spoken to you about it but I didn't because I was so scared. I was a coward. But…I never thought you would cheat on me. I always thought of you as a good, genuine person."

"And now?" he asked quietly, expecting the worst.

"I still think you are."

"What? But I just did what you never thought I would do! Why do you still see any good in me? You should be angry!"

"Because you _are_ a good person, Blaise. I will never forgive you for what you did…but I won't lie because of my anger and pain and say you are not. You came to me right away and told me what happened, and that is something to be admired. I…I need some time to think. Please leave."

"Anne…"

"Please," she said more forcefully.

Blaise got up and left with a heavy heart and depression settling in.

* * *

-

* * *

**I hope I cleared things up for people. I hope you liked this chapter, too. It is sad…but I do promise that Anne will get a happy ending.**


	22. Reason for Worry

Chapter 22 – Crossing that Bridge

Thank you for the reviews for the last chapter. I appreciate them! I'm sorry if some of you are still not happy with what happened between Blaise and Anne, but, like I said, I saw no other way for it to happen that would work with what I have planned.

Enjoy!

* * *

-

* * *

Tell me all that you've thrown away

Find out games you don't wanna play

You are

The only one who needs to know

* * *

-

* * *

Anne sat on her bed, unmoving, barely breathing. She was in such shock after Blaise left the room. She knew all along that they wouldn't make it, but she would be damned if she didn't try to make it work and she tried so hard to push that to the back of her mind. However, she never thought something like this would happen. She was torn between screaming at him and not being angry at all.

She knew he was a good person. She _knew_ it. But she was so conflicted; she was always under the opinion that he would never do something like cheat. She wasn't sure if she loved him. She fancied herself in love with him, but they had only been dating since the summer; it wasn't enough time to fall in love. Well…she supposed it could be for some people, but not her. She needed time. Perhaps, if she met the right guy, she would fall in love with him in a short amount of time. But she had yet to meet that man, and Blaise wasn't him.

Why would he do that, she kept wondering. Why would he do such a thing? He said he got drunk, and that it was no excuse, and he was right! It ISN'T an excuse! And then she thought more about what he said to her while trying not to break down completely. If he truly had feelings for her…no matter how attractive he thought someone else was, he would never cheat. Well that just made her feel like rainbows and ponies. She knew he said that to try to explain what he did, but it somehow made her feel worse. How long had he not had feelings for her? How long had he been pretending?

Maybe at first he liked her. Otherwise he would not go out with her. But now…and she didn't even know how long! How could he do this to her? And then she realized something. It wasn't the cheating that upset her most…it was that their relationship had been a lie.

* * *

-

* * *

"Draco, have you seen Blaise?"

"No, I haven't."

"*sigh* I've been looking for him _all_ day. It's already five!"

"He may not surface for a while, but maybe it would do you good to find Anne."

"Anne…?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Pansy. I'm one of your best friends. I know what happened because it was the first thing Blaise told me when he saw me this morning. She probably hasn't left her room, so maybe you should go talk to her."

"One, I was planning on it. Two, don't you ever tell me what you think I should do, like you're my mother!" She stormed past him, not noticing the frown on his face.

She made it to Slytherin and walked through the portrait hole. She looked around the circular room above the hallway entrances to find which one Anne was in – each hallway entrance had numbers above them, indicating which rooms were through their corresponding hallways. Anne's was the one with the numbers 25-35. She hesitantly turned down that hallway. With each small step, her heart raced faster. When she reached Anne's door, she saw four names. Anne, Bridget, Claudia, and Millicent. When she knocked on the door, she heard a feeble voice, telling her to come in.

Anne thought it was one of her roommates, but then, her roommates never knocked. She looked up as the door opened and her heart got caught in her throat.

When she saw the heartbroken look on Anne's face, Pansy faltered. "I…maybe I should come back at another time…"

"No…it's fine. If you have something to say, I'd rather get it over with."

Pansy closed the door and looked at the floor as she spoke. "I…assume Blaise came here before me…"

"Yes. First thing after he woke up."

Pansy winced. "I'm sorry I didn't come sooner…I needed to sort things out, too."

"Well, you did come. What did you come to say?" Anne's voice was soft and weak, but she tried to sound strong.

"I…I am so…sorry for what happened…though no amount of apologies can make up for what Blaise and I did to you…" Anne watched the darker girl in silence as she stood by the door, not daring to come closer. "I don't know what to say, really. Except that I'm sorry…and that I feel absolutely horrid. Please don't blame Blaise."

"He told me that if he had feelings for me, this wouldn't have happened. Why should I not blame him for lying to me this past month? Two months? Three? I don't even know how long it's been that this relationship has been a lie."

"He never told me about that, honestly. He never told me anything about you, really, and he's my best friend. He spoke about you when you came up in a conversation, but all he said was, 'we're doing fine.' I'm sure he didn't talk to you about it because he hates hurting people more than anything. I know it wasn't the right thing to do, but in his defense, he probably thought he _was_ doing the right thing. Sacrificing his feelings to keep you happy. I know how mental that sounds when you're the one on the other end of it…but he really didn't want to hurt you. I know this because I've known him since I was born. Please don't be too hard on him; all he wanted for you was happiness."

"Happiness isn't living a lie!"

Pansy winced again and looked at Anne. "I know…I'm just telling you my view on it." Her voice was incredibly soft, and Anne had a hard time staying angry with her.

She found it odd that she didn't even feel jealousy towards the other girl. True, she did feel envious, but not jealous. And she found that very strange. "Thank you for coming to me…and talking to me. For explaining yourself. I'd like to be alone now, if you don't mind."

"No…of course not."

Pansy didn't know what else to say. She felt that saying, 'Have a good night,' or, 'I hope you feel better soon' wasn't appropriate, so she just left. She stood in the common room and sighed. No one was there; everyone was off doing homework because of the time they lost during the party. She figured she should get the rest of hers done, too, but she just didn't have the heart, or the desire. She felt disgusting for what she did to Anne. Anne was a nice, sweet girl. She didn't deserve this. But…now that she thought about it, Anne didn't yell about Blaise cheating on her. She raised her voice when she spoke about how she had been living a lie.

Pansy sighed again. "Well…at least there's a Hogsmeade trip in four weeks. Nothing could make feel bad on one of those trips." And with that, she walked out of the common room with a heavy heart and made her way to the head students' dorm where she would try to get some work done.

* * *

-

* * *

"WHAT?"

"Blaise!"

"How could you?"

"Cheating?"

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Aurora, Amanda, Hermione, and Trinity suddenly looked at Ginny. Draco, Zack, and Theo were silent. "Do you really think it's helpful at ALL to Blaise to scold him and ask how he could do such a thing?"

"Ginny's right," said Aurora, who had been the one so shout, 'WHAT?' She had been shocked to hear what Blaise had done, but she wasn't about to make him feel worse than he already did about it. "Yelling at him isn't going to help. If he explains his situation to us, we'll probably understand his reason for it."

After a good amount of minutes, they all knew Blaise's side of the story. He said the same went for Pansy, though she wasn't there. They had talked it over, and he explained that she wouldn't have done that if she hadn't been so incredibly drunk. She threw up a few times that morning, or so he remembered, right before he left.

"I just can't see Pansy drinking that much," Ginny said.

Aurora looked at her. "Oh, she can drink. Believe me. She rarely does, but when she's feeling horrible about something, she'll drink until she passes out."

"What could have made her feel that way, though? It was a fun night," Trinity said.

"I dunno. Maybe something she felt badly about, or maybe she was thinking about her dad," Aurora answered.

"Maybe it was something that happened at the dance?" Hermione put in. "Maybe she wasn't happy because she didn't have a real date. Or something along those lines."

Suddenly, Blaise's head shot up.

"What?" Draco asked.

"We danced…I danced with her. I asked her to dance with me because Ginny said what harm could it do, and I saw no reason to not ask her! GINNY!"

"I DIDN'T KNOW THAT WOULD HAPPEN!" she shouted, now looking very worried. "Damnit! WHY did I have to jinx this? Of COURSE it would be me."

"It's not your fault, Gin," Blaise said, sounding defeated. Ginny fell backwards, holding her head in her hands.

"Wait, I'm confused," said Trinity.

Ginny sighed. "Blaise asked me to dance with him, so I did. After our dance, I sort of nudged him towards Pansy and told him he should dance with her. Of course he did the usual 'I don't think so, it wouldn't be a good idea, blahblahblah.' But me being me, I didn't take no for an answer. I have also seen the way they look at each other. So I decided to play a little bit of matchmaker and screw up their lives."

"Ginny, you didn't screw up our lives. Don't be so melodramatic," Blaise said. "It's not your fault, it's mine. Anne told me to stop drinking. She suggested that I was drinking too much, and I didn't listen to her. I told you what I called her…a cage. How could I _do_ such a thing?"

"If you recall, it takes two to tango," said Zack. "It may be your fault; I won't sugar coat it. But it's also Pansy's fault. She knows her limit and went flying past it. The fault is shared, so stop trying to take it all."

"I…don't want her in this."

"But she is, Blaise," Amanda said. "She is, and you can't deny that. I'm sure she wouldn't want you taking all the blame, either. Knowing her, she'll probably try to take it all."

"Blaise, I know you," Draco said. "I know you're going to beat yourself up over this; that's inevitable. But don't go into a depression because of it. It's not healthy."

"How can I not? Look at what I did to her!"

There was a knock, and then a second one, and Amanda stood to open the portrait hole to the common room. It revealed Pansy.

"Hey," Ginny said softly.

"Hi. I wanted to try to do work, so I came here."

"How long have you been listening?" Draco asked, knowing his friend.

"About ten minutes. I didn't mean to eavesdrop; I just heard your voices and cast a sound enhancement spell. So…I guess I did eavesdrop. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, love. Sit down," Aurora said, patting the couch next to her.

"Blaise, it wasn't just you who did this to her. It was me, too."

"Pansy…"

"No. Don't try to take all of this by yourself. I won't say anything else on that matter." Blaise grumbled and held his head low, looking at his knees. "I spoke to Anne."

This got his attention. He picked up his head and looked at her. "What did she say?"

"Honestly…she seems like she's more upset that you've been pretending to like her for however long it's been…she's upset that she doesn't know how long you haven't had real feelings for her. She didn't say anything about what we did."

"That's…strange."

"I'm sure she's still upset about it…it just seemed like she was more upset about 'living a lie,' as she put it."

Blaise groaned and put his head in his hands. "How did she look?"

"Defeated."

"I don't know what to do…" he said. "Why did what happened have to happen this way?" Then he realized his slip. He quickly looked at Pansy, who, he saw, was looking straight at him with a surprised expression on her face. "Well…you know I wanted to…ask you to date me…we talked about that this morning."

"Yes, well, you didn't phrase it like _that_."

"Well excuse me for wanting to –"

"ALRIGHT! I don't want to hear any more of that conversation!" Even Blaise and Pansy laughed at Ginny's widened eyes. "Though it's nice to see you two getting along." She smirked.

Trinity decided to give her two cents. "The only advice I have for you two, since you already spoke to Anne, is to wait it out. Treat her with respect, give her her space, and work on your own relationship. Not right away…give that time, too, but that's all I can say."

"Okay, so…new topic?" someone suggested. No one cared enough to find out who it was.

"Please," Zack said. Blaise and Pansy glared at him. "What? Don't tell me you don't want a new topic, as well."

"Are you all going to the next Hogsmeade trip?" Ginny asked.

"Red, that's four weeks away."

"So? Lighten up, dragon boy. Hogsmeade is always a fun topic."

He raised an eyebrow. _'Dragon boy?'_ She couldn't help but laugh at the look on his face. He shook his head and sighed. "Oh, the company I have to deal with these days." A pillow was thrown at him but he ducked and couldn't help a smirk making its way onto his face. "You'll get yours, Weasley."

"Oh, will I?"

"Oh my god the FLIRTING between you two is nonstop. I think I'm going to throw up."

"TRINITY!" Ginny shouted. "We do NOT flirt!"

Aurora raised her eyebrows. Them? Flirting? That made her a bit uneasy.

"You SO do," Trinity pushed.

"Do not!"

"Whatever." She winked at Ginny.

"Hey. I can't help it if the way I joke around looks like flirting. Are you saying I flirt with you, too? Hmm? Do you like me, Trin?" She made kissing noises at the taller girl, who snorted and pushed Ginny away.

"Me? Like you? In your dreams." Then they promptly got into a tickle war.

"Anyway," Aurora said over their laughter, "is everyone going on that trip? It'll be on…what was it…"

"December first," Hermione answered without a second thought, and without losing her place in her book.

"You really do know everything, don't you?"

"You should know the dates of the Hogsmeade trips, too, Head Boy."

"Well excuse me, Head Girl, for forgetting the dates of a trip I can easily look up on the list outside of the Great Hall."

"You're excused."

Draco rolled his eyes as she went back to her book.

"You two bicker like brother and sister so much, now. It's quite hilarious, really," Ginny remarked, bursting into laughter when they both sent her twin glares. Blaise shook his head and smiled.

"You lot really know how to cheer people up. Even when you don't mean to."

* * *

-

* * *

The next three weeks went by without much mishap. Anne and Blaise still couldn't meet each other's eyes, and Pansy found it hard to look at Anne, as well. By now, the entire school had heard about what happened between them, and there were mixed views everywhere. Most of the girls thought Blaise to be a 'user of women,' and, whenever he overheard people talking about that, he would bud in and agree to it. This often surprised people, as they thought he was a bad person after what happened, but before they could ask any questions, he was gone. There was one slight issue, but it ended as soon as it came up; Blaise made sure of that.

_Flashback_

"_Oy, Anne! I heard you were cheated on. Are you really _that_ bad in bed?"_

"_You son of a bitch!" _

"_Bridget, stop. He's not worth it," Anne said. _

_"Was Zabini worth it?" Bradley said, sneering. Anne kept her back to him as she walked away, Bridget hurrying after her._

_Later that day, Blaise was walking to his DADA class when Bridget cornered him with Claudia. _

"_Not only did you really hurt her, but now, people are saying shit about her!"_

"_What? What are they saying?"_

"_They are calling her a whore, saying she's bad in bed. Look at what you did to her!"_

"_I never meant for this to happen, Bridget. You may never believe me, but I know Anne does."_

"_Yeah, I know. It's useless for us to try and get her to see –"_

"_See what? That I'm disgusting? A bastard? No good?"_

"_Yeah! Exactly!" said Claudia._

"_Well, you're right! I don't know why she can't see it, either." This confused them, and their eyes widened. "Who is saying these things about her?"_

"_Not a lot of people, but people just the same. Mostly Brittany Mayes in Gryffindor, but Bradley in Slytherin is the one who said she must be bad in bed. Why do you care? YOU caused this."_

"_I KNOW I CAUSED IT!" he roared. A couple of people had gathered around them, trying not to be noticed and failing. But Blaise didn't care anymore. "I don't need YOU to tell me that! I'm not an idiot. I may be a disgusting piece of shit for what I did to her, but I know it, and I know I caused this!"_

"_Oh…well…at least you know."_

"_Zabini, my man! How are ya?" came a voice he had grown to hate. He turned on Bradley and pinned him to the wall. "I see you're angry. Why could that be?"_

"_You said to Anne that the reason I cheated on her is because she is bad in bed. I wonder why I'm angry."_

"_Well she must be. Why else _would_ you do that?" _

_Blaise shoved him into the wall, causing him to wince._ "_THAT IS NOT THE REASON!"_

"_Then what is the reason, Zabini? If she doesn't suck at giving pleasure to people, why else would you cheat on her? Does she suck at sucking, too?" Blaise knew Bradley was baiting him, but he didn't care. He just didn't care._

"_She doesn't suck at anything! I did what I did because I'm stupid and have feelings for someone else. We both got drunk and voila. It's not an excuse, but it happened and if I EVER hear about you saying anything like that to her again, you WILL be incredibly sorry." Blaise threw a strong punch, knocking the wind out of the bigger boy. He stood over Bradley, who slumped to the floor clutching his stomach. "Anne is a better person than most people in this world, and most people in this world are better than you. You would do well to remember that." With that, he stalked down the hall to the DADA room, leaving behind a corridor full of wide-eyed people and a professor hidden in the shadows. _

_Snape shook his head. He probably should have intervened, but these kids need to figure out things on their own, sometimes. He backed away and strode down the empty corridor to the staircase that would bring him to the dungeons. He was quite surprised with Blaise. He knew the boy wasn't the type to do something like cheat. He would have to find out Blaise's side of the story later. _

_End flashback_

That was last week. Since then, he hadn't heard a thing about Anne from anyone. Clearly rumors had been spread, and people were too scared to say anything else about what happened on Halloween.

"Hey, Blaise."

He turned his head and saw Ginny. "Hi, Gin."

"How are you doing?"

"Eh…not so good, but that's nothing new. You?"

"I'm okay…I'm really worried about Pansy, though."

"Huh? Why? Is she alright?"

"I don't know…I mean, I'm worried about you, too, but it seems like she's taking this really hard. Especially since two weeks ago…it must have sunk in because she's been really ansy and depressed. I don't know how those two go together, but…well, they do in this case."

"She'll be alright…soon, I hope," said Blaise.

"I hope you're right…"

"See if you can talk to her. She listens to you."

"You're her best friend, though. Wouldn't she tell you what's wrong?"

"Not in this case, I think. Because it has to do with me, I don't think she'd talk to me in depth. Also…we're trying to take things slow and get to re-know each other, if you know what I mean."

"Yeah…I think that's a good idea. Ron and Hermione are doing that, too. Well, good luck with it. I'm gonna to talk to her, I guess."

"I'll see you later. Please tell me if it's something specific. Unless she tells you not to…"

"I will. See ya."

As Ginny made her way to Slytherin, her thoughts wandered to her friends. Pansy and Blaise have seemed so depressed since this happened, and she couldn't help but think that it was her fault…or at least somewhat. She felt responsible for this. She'd been trying to cheer them up for the past three weeks and Blaise seemed to get a little better, but Pansy suddenly got much worse. She kept herself locked in her room when she wasn't in class, and went to the kitchen for meals instead of the Great Hall. She hardly even looked at Blaise anymore. Ginny didn't mean to push them apart. She only had good intentions. Why did this happen? WHY? Wasn't she doing a good thing? She didn't know anymore.

'_No good deed goes unpunished,' she thought._

When she reached Slytherin, she muttered the password and slipped inside. The few people in the common room simply looked up and back down again, resuming what they had been doing; they were used to her and Aurora coming and going as they pleased, and no longer cared. Some of them even smiled and waved at the two Gryffindors when they walked into the common room. Of course, they always smiled back.

She knocked on Pansy's door, but there was no answer. She tried the handle and found that it was open, so that must mean Pansy was inside. Maybe she was asleep? Ginny opened the door and saw that the bed lamp was on but the overhead was not. She heard a sniff and then saw feet on the opposite side of the bed. She closed the door.

"Pansy?" she called softly. She heard another sniff and what sounded like a hiccup. She walked around the bed and saw Pansy sitting on the floor with her head down so she couldn't see Pansy's face. She kneeled in front of her and lifted Pansy's head. Pansy closed her eyes in an attempt to not let Ginny see her tears, but it was in vain. Her cheeks were already wet, and when she closed her eyes, two more tears fell. "What's wrong? You've really been worrying everyone recently. Especially me."

"I'm sorry…" Then, Ginny spotted something in Pansy's hand, which was resting on the floor. It was a knife, and Ginny quickly grabbed Pansy's arms, but saw no marks, no blood. "I didn't…"

"But you were thinking it!" Ginny said hurriedly. Her heart was hammering in her chest so hard, she wasn't sure if Pansy heard it or not. "PANSY! What were you thinking? Hurting yourself isn't something to do over unintentionally helping someone to cheat! Well…you shouldn't do it for ANYthing!"

"I…that's not the only thing I'm upset about…but I wasn't really thinking about doing that, Ginny. Calm down. It was a gift from my father for my sixteenth birthday last march. 'To look beautiful on your shelf, for you to think of me when I'm not around, and, perhaps, if you really need it someday,' he said. I assume he was hinting at my mother. I just wanted to hold it. It comforts me."

Ginny took the knife from Pansy's outstretched hand and looked it over. It was absolutely beautiful. It had intricate celtic designs on the handle and a button to push for the blade to spring out. Ginny pushed it back into the handle and pushed the button. Then she gave it back to Pansy, who took it and held it to her heart.

"It is beautiful…I'm sorry for assuming the worst but can you blame me? I come into a dark room with you crying on the floor and a knife in your hand…"

"I know. Not exactly the best scene to come to when looking for your friend who's been upset for the past three weeks."

"You mentioned you were upset about something else. What is it? I know you were upset because of what happened with you, Blaise, and Anne, but then, suddenly, you got so much more upset two weeks ago. Will you please tell me why?"

"Gin…"

"Please?" she pressed. "Don't try to go through whatever it is by yourself. You have friends. That's what we're for."

"I don't want you to shun me, Ginny! I don't want you to be ashamed of me!"

"Why would I? Pansy, you're one of my best friends. People go through rough times, but their true friends will always be there for them to lend a hand. Or a shoulder…whatever you prefer."

"Ginny…I haven't…I was supposed to…" Ginny saw that Pansy was getting worked up again, so she sat next to her on the floor and put a hand on her knee.

"Take a deep breath. I'm here for you, I'm not going to judge you, and I'm certainly not going to be ashamed of you." By now, Ginny was so worried, and she couldn't possibly think of what Pansy could have done, or what was wrong with her.

"I…I…I'm late."

Ginny blinked. "Huh?"

"I'm late, Ginny! I'm late! I'm two weeks late!"

It took a moment for Ginny to process what Pansy meant, but when she did, her eyes widened to a size Pansy didn't know they could widen to. "Oh Pansy…"

"It was supposed to come two weeks ago. That's why I suddenly got so upset."

"Didn't you and Blaise use a contraceptive charm?"

"Oh Ginny, we were so drunk, I doubt that even if we _did_ think of it, it would have gone wrong."

"Well, it could be the stress. You never know. Stress can cause lateness."

"Ginny, I've _never_ been this late. I'm always on time, no matter how upset I am. When my father died…you remember how much of a wreck I was." Ginny nodded. "I was right on time."

"The Hogsmeade trip is in a week. If you haven't gotten it by then, we'll go to the pharmacy with whoever else you tell by then, if you want to, and we'll get a test…or a couple. Okay? Then you will know for sure."

"Ginny, I can't be…I can't be...this can't be happening. Oh my father…he has to know about this by now. He's probably up there thinking about how disappointed he is in me!" She began to sob into Ginny's shoulder.

"Pansy, if your father really loved you as much as I assume he did by how much you love him, I'm positive that he isn't disappointed in you. He's probably thinking about how much he wants to be alive for you in this time so he could help you through this. Look, you may not even be…but if you are…what will you do?"

"I can't get rid of it. I just can't. It goes against everything I stand for."

"You'll have to tell Blaise."

"I know."

Suddenly, something clicked in Ginny's brain. "That's why you haven't been looking at him lately…"

"Yeah."

"Look. We'll get through this, alright? I promise. I'm here for you, Draco will be here for you, Aurora, Zack, Theo, and even Blaise will be here for you. I'm sure when they find out, Hermione, Trinity, Amanda, Fred, and George will be here for you. And when they get closer to you, Harry and Ron will, too. You see? You have so many friends and the ones I'm close with I know are true friends. We won't judge you. We'll get you through this."

"And…what about my mother? And Voldemort?"

"…We'll cross that bridge when we come to it…"

* * *

-

* * *

**I hope you liked that chapter! I had a lot of fun writing it. Sorry it was so long. **


	23. Of Quidditch and Pregnancy Tests

Chapter 23

Disclaimer I own nothing that isn't mine.

I have nothing to say, really, except I hope you enjoy!

* * *

-

* * *

You are

The only one who needs to know

I'll keep you my dirty little secret

Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret

* * *

-

* * *

That Monday, there was to be a quidditch match between Slytherin and Ravenclaw after classes ended. The game would be at 5:00pm. When Snape let out his DADA class (early, of course, so his Slytherins could get ready), Ginny ran to her room to get changed into jeans, a t-shirt that had the Weird Sisters on the front, and a blue jacket that was her mother's. When she opened the portrait hole, she found a distraught Pansy on the other side.

"Pansy! What are you doing here?"

"I needed to find you, so I waited here until you showed up…"

"But you have a game in half an hour!"

"I can't play in my condition, Ginny."

"Oh…right."

"What am I going to tell my team? You're the only one who knows. _Draco and Blaise are playing tonight_! They're going to have a hundred questions on what's wrong with me, why I can't play. Help me!"

"Come with me; we'll figure out something on the way there."

"You can come up with something that quickly?"

Ginny smirked at her. "I was almost put in Slytherin. I think I can think up a good enough half-truth for them."

Pansy's eyes widened just as Ron's had. "You WERE? How come you haven't told anyone?"

"It's not important. And…no one ever asked. However, I am too stubborn, hot-headed, and action first, ask later. So it put me in Gryffindor."

"Oh…yes, I can see that." Ginny swatted her arm. "Hey!"

"Okay so…we can tell them you have a stomachache."

"Blaise has a potion for that. He can just _accio_ it."

"Headache?"

"Draco."

"Flu?"

"They'd run up to the hospital wing to check on me after the game. When I'm not there, and Madam Pomfrey doesn't recall me being there, they'll get really suspicious."

"Why don't you just tell them you don't have the heart to do it today? That you're still upset about what happened a few weeks ago, and you have a lot of work to do. There are three other chasers, right?"

"Four. There are seven of us in total."

"Well, there you go."

"But that will make Blaise feel guilty, and I don't want to make him feel worse than he already does."

"Why don't I just go to them and say you're not feeling well? I'll say a few things privately to Draco and Blaise, too. I'll tell them that you're fine, just not feeling well and still depressed."

"Okay…"

"Do you want me to stay with you?"

"No, go to the game. I'll be alright. I'm just so angry that I can't play quidditch two months into the year, especially because it's the first time I got on the team. I don't even know if I'm actually…"

"I know…but it's better to be safe than sorry." Pansy grumbled and looked at the floor. "I'm not going to go to the game. I'll come back and play exploding snap with you, or wizard's chess."

"No, Ginny. Go to the game. You should be watching our moves, anyway. You'll be very surprised when we sneak up on you and win the cup if you don't."

"OHHH no you won't! Gryffindor will win! You'll see!"

"Ginny," Pansy said after laughing, "I'll be fine. Please go to the game."

"…Are you sure?"

"Yes," she pushed. "Now go, or you'll miss it."

"Fine…I'll see you for dinner, then?"

"Sure. 7, right?"

"Yeah. Unless the game lasts longer, though I doubt it. Ravenclaw has no chance against Slytherin."

Pansy smirked. "You bet they have no chance against us. And Neither will you if you don't get your butt down there and watch!"

"Alright, alright! Geez. How would Draco and Blaise react to finding out you were pushing me to do better than Slytherin?"

"GO!"

Ginny left, laughing. They had reached the Great Hall, and as Ginny went outside to go inform Draco and Blaise about Pansy, Pansy went downstairs into the dungeons to Slytherin. She wanted to sleep; that would make her feel a little better.

* * *

-

* * *

"Malfoy, the Weasley girl is at the door. She said she needs to talk to you and Zabini."

"Thanks, O'Brian."

Mason O'Brian was a fourth year chaser. He was the youngest on the team, but he was fantastic at what he did. A lot of the people on Draco's team thought he made a bad choice, but he reminded them that both he and Potter were made seekers when they were even younger.

He grabbed Blaise and they walked to the door of their locker room, finding Ginny on the other side. When they closed the door, she spoke.

"Pansy can't make it, guys. She's fine; nothing serious. She's just not feeling well."

"Is she alright?"

"What's wrong?"

"Like I said, it's nothing serious. She didn't tell me much, just that she needed to sleep, and that she's so sorry for disappointing you."

"She's not disappointing us," Draco said.

"Will she be at dinner?" asked Blaise.

Ginny nodded. "She said she'd be there at 7."

"We can just say there was a last minute switch," Draco said to Blaise, who nodded.

"Okay. Thanks for telling us, Gin."

"No problem. Just do me a favor."

"What's that?"

"Don't bombard her with questions when you see her. She's stressed about work, depressed over what happened, and just needs her friends around her to keep her spirits up."

"Okay…"

"Promise me, guys."

"Alright, we promise. We have a game to play, if you don't mind."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes, I know, Malfoy. Go play your game. I HOPE YOU SNOTTY SLYTHERINS LOSE! BWAHAHAHA!" She ran away before they could tackle her, and they couldn't help but grin at her antics. They went back inside and finished getting ready for the game while Ginny went to find Fred and George, who were sitting in the announcer's box with Lee. McGonagall was sitting behind them, as there was no roof or walls around the box so she could keep an eye on Lee in case he said anything inappropriate – which he always did.

* * *

-

* * *

"Fancy seeing you here, Gin-bug," said Fred.

"Come to enjoy the scenery with us?" asked George, grinning.

Ginny played along. "Oh yes. Isn't it beautiful? I just _love_ green, silver, blue, and bronze. They're my favorite colors."

"REALLY? Mine too!" Lee Jordan exclaimed.

They burst into laughter. They got to sit in the announcer's box since Lee was the announcer for this game, and just as Lee was about to talk into the microphone, someone from Slytherin flew up to them.

"Yes?" asked Lee.

"There's been a change in chasers. I'm playing; Parkinson is out."

"On such short notice?"

The boy shrugged. "Dunno why. I'm just the messenger."

"What's your name?"

"Mason O'Brian."

"Alright, thanks for telling me."

"Yup." The boy flew off to join his team on the field where Draco and Sean Wellington, the Ravenclaw keeper and captain, were shaking hands. Ginny looked to Lee.

"The Slytherins are getting nicer, wouldn't you say?"

"The younger ones just haven't been corrupted yet, Ginbug."

"If you haven't realized, Gred and Forge, you are the ones befriending the supposed most corrupted of all."

Amazement grew on their faces as they processed what their sister just called them.

"Gred?"

"Forge?"

"I like that, Forge!"

"Me too, Gred!" The twins grinned at their new nicknames as Ginny threw up her hands in defeat.

"What have I done?"

"I don't know, Ginny, but nothing good!" Lee said, laughing. "Now, if you don't mind, I must get to announcing." Lee cast a sound enhancement charm on his voice. "There's been a change in chasers tonight, ladies and gents!" came Lee's booming voice. "Mason O'Brian will be making his debut as a replacement for Parkinson!"

The Slytherins looked around at each other, shrugged, and cheered half-heartedly, but Mason O'Brian didn't seem to mind. He looked determined. Last minute replacements were very uncommon, and they hadn't seen this boy play outside of practice. Pansy was one of their best, and having her out in such an important game wasn't a good thing in their minds.

Madam Hooch set the snitch free while Elissa Morgan and Draco covered their eyes for three minutes. Then, the game was underway. And, almost immediately, there was a score for Slytherin.

"TEN POINTS FOR SLYTHERIN! Mason O'Brian, everyone! Fourth year, and what a transfiguration wonder he is! If you ever need help with that class – we all know how hard it is – sorry, professor, but it is! – just ask him!"

"Jordan, get on with the game!"

"Yes, professor. Zabini gets the quaffle – he throws it to O'Brian, who passes to Flint, WHO DOESN'T PASS BACK! Flint refuses to pass to him!"

"FLINT! PASS TO O'BRIAN!"

"Fuck off, Zabini! I can handle this."

"Why won't you pass to me! You won't make it! PASS TO ME, DAMNIT!"

"Quit your whining! It's annoying and unbecoming of a true Slytherin!"

"WHO THE FUCK CARES? JUST PASS HIM THE BALL!" Blaise roared.

"NO! He's just a little boy! He doesn't even belong on the team!"

Draco was close by so he heard this, and he was furious. "I was seeker when I was a second year, Flint! You didn't have a problem with me! PASS TO HIM!"

Marcus Flint dodged the bludgers and Ravenclaw chasers and threw the quaffle at the middle hoop, but Cho Chang caught it and zoomed off.

Draco called a time out and flew to Marcus Flint. He was literally shaking. "Flint, If you don't start passing to O'Brian, I will take you out of this game!"

Flint just sneered. "You putting him on this team was a mistake."

"DO NOT question your captain! I put him on this team for a DAMN good reason and if you can't accept that, maybe I should kick you off it! SHAPE UP, or there will be consequences!" Draco flew back to his post above the field, and saw that Elissa Morgan, the Ravenclaw seeker, had moved closer to his area.

The game was once again underway, and the chasers were green and blue blurs while the beaters zoomed about, making sure their teammates didn't get hit. Draco and Elissa remained in one spot, their eyes flitting about for the snitch.

"Sounds like trouble on the team," she said, not in a nasty way.

"What's it to you?"

"Nothing. I'm just trying to make conversation."

"Conversation will make you lose the snitch."

She huffed. "I was only trying to be pleasant. Merlin forbid I should ever be nice to you."

Draco shook his head. He had dated Elissa two years ago for a short while, but they didn't work out. Their break up was mutual, and they talked now and then, but weren't close.

"Flint is just being an asshole."

"I always told you he was."

"And I've always known."

"Then why is he on the team?"

"Because he's good at what he does but if he continues to defy me and play by himself instead of with the team, he will be kicked off."

"Who will replace him?"

"We have seven chasers. Without him, we'll just have as many as Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. It's not an issue."

"CHANG SCORES! That's thirty points for Ravenclaw! Slytherin is ten points behind. Can they get past a team of geniuses?"

Ginny saw that Draco and the Ravenclaw seeker were talking to each other, and felt her heart squeeze with jealousy. She knew she shouldn't be jealous, especially after her talk with Draco the morning after Halloween, but she still was because she remembered when those two dated.

"You look so serious, Ginbug," Fred said.

"Lighten up! Slytherin might lose, and then we'll have an easy victory next week!" said George.

"Huh? Oh, yeah we will!" she said with a fake smile.

"But Forge, it's fun playing Slytherin," Fred said.

"Right you are, Gred. It is actually quite fun goading them."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Are you two going to call each other that all the time?"

"Of course!" they said at the same time. As they laughed, she couldn't help but grin. Her brothers always made her happy.

"Mum's going to kill me…"

After half an hour, it was quite clear that Slytherin would win. Mason O'Brian was a wonder, as he played center chaser and kept scoring on Sean Wellington. All they needed was for Draco to catch the snitch. He saw it not twenty minutes later, and dove for it with Elissa hot on his heels.

"MALFOY SEES THE SNITCH!" Lee shouted. Slytherin went up in cheers and shouts of encouragement, though Draco didn't need it. He was one of the four best seekers in the history of Hogwarts – James Potter, Charlie Weasley, himself, and Harry Potter, who were both pretty much equal but he had to admit that Potter was an excellent seeker.

Ginny, Fred, George, and Lee were all screaming.

"COME ON, MALFOY! GRAB IT ALREADY!" Ginny shouted. Many around her who could hear her wore confused looks on their faces, even though they knew that while Gryffindor wasn't playing, she rooted for Slytherin because she was friends with a lot of them. It was still a bit odd for them, and hard to get used to. Fred and George they knew were crazy already, and they never thought anything they did was odd because most Hogwarts students were used to their antics. However, rooting for Slytherin _was_ a bit weird. Harry and Hermione, who sat near the announcer's box, shook their heads and smiled while Ron scowled.

They shot around the stadium, then up. The snitch zipped around them, causing the two seekers to perform an intricate pattern of sharp turns and twists; it was being awfully annoying today.

Draco smiled when he heard Ginny's yell, and it gave him the extra boost to lunge for the snitch. He held his arm up to show he caught it, but he nearly fell off his broom when Elissa plowed into him. He let go of the snitch to grab her arm to keep her from falling to what would have been a very painful trip to the hospital wing, and she climbed back onto her broom, which she held in her other hand.

"MALFOY CAUGHT THE SNITCH! SLYTHERIN WINS THIS MATCH! Nice catch, by the way. Of Elissa Morgan, I mean."

When Elissa was back on her broom and on her way to her team, Draco snuck a glance at Ginny, and they shared a smile. He then flew off to join his team in celebration.

* * *

-

* * *

"I still can't believe how amazing that game was. I'm sorry I couldn't be there."

It was two days later, and the friends were sitting down for lunch.

"Oh Pansy, it WAS amazing!" Ginny said. "And if you were there, it would have been so much more so. I wish Malfoy actually did kick Flint off the team…meh. Oh well."

Draco smirked. "I'm very close to actually doing it. O'Brian!" Mason turned to see Draco waving him over.

He stood and made his way to them.

"Great job on your first game. You were absolutely wonderful! I watched from a window," Pansy said.

"Thank you."

"I'll never put you with Flint again, you can be sure of that."

"Thanks, Malfoy. He really pulled us down at first. Sorry; I don't mean to talk down about a team member behind his back. It's just that he almost cost us a loss."

"But you pulled us back up!" said Blaise. "You showed Flint. Bam, wham, to the moon!"

Hermione, who was sitting with them which she did on rare occasion, was shocked. "How do you know that line?"

"Why, miss Granger, you don't have to be muggle-born to know what television is!" he grinned and she laughed.

"No, I suppose not."

* * *

-

* * *

Hogsmeade was that Saturday, and Pansy was very jittery. She got worse as each day passed, and people started to notice. Blaise and Draco kept their word to Ginny and did not bother Pansy about why she couldn't be at the game, but they were getting more and more worried.

On Friday night, Pansy and Ginny were talking in Pansy's room when Aurora walked in.

"Hey, guys." They said hi awkwardly, and Aurora frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Pansy said quickly.

Aurora narrowed her eyes at Pansy, and Ginny just sat there, not knowing what to say. "Pansy, I know something's wrong. You've always told me that I'm too perceptive for my own good, so you know I know when something's up. Please tell me? I'm your friend. Don't hide from me."

Pansy really couldn't hide from Aurora, and so she told her. "Well…last week, I realized I was two weeks late."

"Late? For what?"

"…Late, Aurora."

Aurora still didn't get it, so Ginny stepped in. "She thinks she's pregnant." Aurora's eyes went wide.

"WHAT?" She was silent for a moment, then regained her voice after the initial shock. "Yeah, I'd say that's a problem!"

"Thanks, Rora…"

"Well, Pansy, that _is_ a problem! I'm not going to lie and sugar coat the situation."

"I know…" the older girl sighed and put her head in her hands.

"So that's why you've been acting really weird these past few weeks. Geez, Pansy. Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"I wanted to be one hundred percent sure."

"You told Ginny," Aurora said with pain evident in her voice.

"No, I didn't tell Ginny. She walked in on me while I was crying and she forced me to tell her very much like how you did."

"Oh."

"We were planning to go tomorrow to a pharmacy in Hogsmeade if she didn't get her monthly by tonight or tomorrow morning, and she hasn't today, so…"

"Merlin…what am I going to do?" Pansy sounded so defeated. Aurora sat down on the bed on Pansy's other side.

"Well, an old, dead wizard that we all swear by isn't going to help you," said Ginny, and Pansy swatted her arm.

"We're going to get you through this, that's what we're going to do. We'll figure out how to deal with your mother, what to tell her, and we'll help you figure out what you'll tell Blaise, but that you have to do on your own," Aurora said.

"I know…Voldemort will find out. You know this, right?" They nodded their heads. "He can't know it's Blaise's. I don't know what to tell him…"

"We'll figure all of that out once we know for sure if you're preggers or not."

"Thanks for putting it like that, Rora," Pansy said.

The next day, the three of them went to Hogsmeade together. It was very cold that day, so they pulled their hoods up over their heads and their scarves up to cover their noses and mouths. It was very difficult to recognize them, which made buying the pregnancy tests that much easier. They each bought two, and the pharmacist said, "Whichever one of you it is, you have my luck." They said thank you, and promptly left. They went directly back to the castle, not letting anyone else see their faces, and hurried to the prefects' bathroom, as Pansy was one.

"What is the first one like?" Pansy asked when Aurora picked one up and read the box.

"This one's a muggle test. You…ah…pee on it."

"Oh…that's…awkward," Pansy responded. She told Aurora and Ginny to wait in the little room that you walk into when you first enter. The room has two doors; one for boys and one for girls. When Pansy came out, they sat up straight, all of them nervous.

"I don't know what these symbols are."

"Well, if it's a plus sign, you're pregnant. If it's a minus sign, you're not," Ginny said.

The symbol on the test was +.

* * *

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* * *

**I hope you all liked it! Please leave a review! I love them.**


	24. Telling Blaise

Chapter 24

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my made up characters and the storyline.

So, I'm sorry this didn't come sooner. I have been bogged down with finals and a research paper…AND, to top that off, right in the middle of finals, my laptop started crapping out on me so my parents and my friend who works at best buy (and gets great deals) went on an emergency mission to get me this fabulous machine I am typing on right now. But I have a new computer! And it's 320GBs of space as opposed to 74.4GBs. My goodness! I couldn't believe how small the amount of space was on my old computer. I never looked. But anyways, enjoy!

* * *

-

* * *

I'll keep you my dirty little secret

Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret

I hope that you can keep it, my dirty little secret

Who has to know?

* * *

-

* * *

"Pansy, it's not necessarily correct."

"Aurora, the fucking test says it's 99.9% accurate!"

"It's a muggle test, Pansy," Ginny said. "It might not work the same on us."

"Then why do we sell them in our stores? Huh?"

"I don't know! Just to have an extra option, I guess."

"Here, try this one." Aurora held up a test to Pansy, who took it and sat on the floor with them. "You can take this one with us here, but we might want to go into the bathroom in case someone walks in." They nodded and locked the door when they walked inside the enormous room. "Okay. You have to swallow this potion, that's all you have to do. If you glow white, you're not pregnant. If you glow yellow, you are."

"Well, cheers," Pansy said sullenly. She downed the potion Aurora gave to her and made a face.

"What does it taste like?" Ginny asked.

"It's weird. It's not bad, but it's not delicious. It's kind of…sweet."

After about a minute, Pansy started to glow, and the color was yellow. She looked down at her hands. "Well, that's that."

"No, we have to try every test."

"Ginny, she can't possibly try every test. Let's just give her the most accurate ones."

"Alright. How about this one?" Ginny held up a test very much like the second one, except it was slightly different. "They say it's the best test out there…if you glow white, you're not pregnant, but if you glow blue, it's a boy and if it's pink, it's a girl. WHAT? How Sexist is _that_?"

Aurora chuckled.

"But what if I don't want to know the gender?"

"Um…well, I don't know," said Aurora. "Do you want to know?"

"Well…I guess I do." She downed it, and again, it tasted sweet. After about one minute, her body began to glow and Aurora and Ginny's eyes widened.

"You know, Pansy, I never, ever thought I'd ever see you wearing pink."

Pansy's head dropped into her hands, which had a slight pink hue to them. "Thanks, Rora…this is just wonderful. I'm sixteen, knocked up, and glowing my most hated color. What more could go wrong?"

"Voldemort could find out."

"Thanks, Gin."

"Hey, you asked."

"We'll talk about that with the guys. I'm sure that with all of those Gryffindor and Slytherin minds in one room, we'll figure something out," Aurora said. "But for now, all you have to worry about is telling Blaise. One step at a time, Pansy, or you'll overload yourself."

"I think it's a little too late for that."

"Do you want to try another one?" Ginny asked.

"No. I'm done…I'll go sulk in my room or something, and think about what to tell Blaise."

"Do you want us to come with you? Maybe we can help."

"No, but thanks, Rora. Thank you both for helping me out. I appreciate it." She stood and took the bag of pregnancy tests from Aurora, then left the bathroom.

"You think she'll be okay?" Ginny asked. Aurora looked worried.

"I hope so. I really hope so."

* * *

-

* * *

"Ugh, I _hate_ O.W.L.S."

"I know, Trin, but after they're over, we'll have a whole year before N.E.W.T.S," Ginny said.

"I know but that's after. I want to be done with them _now_." Trinity groaned and pushed her textbook away from her. She folded her arms on the table and let her head rest on them.

Fred patted her shoulder. "Don't worry, dear. N.E.W.T.S are even harder!" Trinity glared at him. They were in the library near one of the large windows. Trinty, Aurora, Ginny, Pansy, Fred, Harry, Draco, and Blaise were all seated at the table in front of the window, and the others were located at smaller tables or comfortable sofa chairs nearby.

George looked up from the table he shared with Amanda. "Gred's right, you know."

"Too true, Forge."

"Ginny…_why_ did you start this?" Harry asked jokingly.

She rolled her eyes just as Draco secretly looked up at her from across the table. "Don't look at me. It was a spur of the moment thing. I didn't mean to start anything!"

The twins guffawed, and were promptly shushed by students on the couches further away from the large group of friends. They were in a chatter area, but even so – if they were too loud, people in the quiet areas could hear them. The library was large, and the second level was a sort of indoor balcony over the first floor, and had poor acoustics. The chatter area was on the second floor because the area was smaller, and most students liked silence.

"I think it's pretty funny," said Amanda.

Aurora snorted and Ginny swatted her. "Oh I think it's funny, and I am proud for starting it, but they're going to do this _all the time_, now. Do you realize how annoyed my mum will be when they call each other that around her twenty-four seven? And when she figures out it was me who started it…"

"Don't worry, Gin-Gin," Fred said.

"Gred and I will protect you."

"I am so relieved," she said sarcastically. Blaise snorted. "And what is your problem?"

"Nothing, Gin-Gin."

"Oh hush, you. You've called me weirder names than that."

"But Gineasley, I am at least creative with my nicknames!"

Ginny chucked a quill at him, which he promptly blocked with his textbook. The quill rolled over to Draco, who picked it up and inspected it. "I thought Blaise was the perpetrator here, Red. Not me."

"Hey, my aim was dead on. He's the one who blocked it."

"And if I hadn't, I'd have been Blaise-kabob!"

Harry had been watching the interaction between Ginny and the "Slytherin Princes," and was actually amused by their banter. He smiled to himself. Maybe the Order of the Phoenix would be growing soon, after all, as the Slytherins in their group changed sides. Won't their parents be surprised when the final battle shows them their children fighting against them...he felt his heart lift a little, and went back to his work after smiling softly at Aurora.

Draco caught this, and felt happy for his sister. Golden Boy or not, he was good to her. Too good to her. But then, no one was too good for his sister. No one was good enough, but he grudgingly admitted to himself that Potter was pretty damn close. He reminded himself that he would have to speak with him about certain matters pertaining to the war, but later. For now, he would concentrate on his homework. He, unlike the 5th years and seventh years in their group, did not have insane exams to study for, so he took his time to finish his transfiguration essay.

Pansy could not concentrate. It has been a week since she officially found out she was pregnant, and still hasn't spoken to Blaise about it. They just found out that they liked each other! Why did this have to happen? Why? Were the gods punishing her? She was five weeks pregnant, and she needed to tell him soon. She couldn't let anyone else know until she told him. Two were too many; he should have been the first one to find out. She was so afraid that something bad would happen, that he would get upset, scared and run away from her. She knew he wouldn't actually do that, though. That no matter how scared he was, he would be there for his child. What she was scared of was a break up.

She began to pack up her things.

"Pansy?" Ginny called softly. "Are you leaving?"

"Yeah," came the older girl's weak response. "I can't really concentrate. I'll just go to my room and lie down or read a book."

"Alright…"

She smiled a fake smile at them and left. The others, with the exception of Aurora, Draco, and Blaise went back to their work, not suspecting a thing. Trinity, though, missed nothing, as usual, and saw Aurora and Ginny share a concerned look. She then knew that those two were keeping something from her. She immediately felt left out, but told herself that if they were keeping a secret, it was for a good reason. They always told her everything, and went to her for advice, so she let it go.

Ginny made eye contact with Blaise, and jerked her head in the direction Pansy went, then went back to her work. After waiting ten minutes, Blaise wrote a note to Draco on a piece of parchment.

"_Will you leave with me to make it look like I'm not going to look for Pansy? They'll all ask questions later and I don't feel like being bombarded…If you have too much work, it's fine. I just want to ask her what's wrong."_

"_Sure. I'm not busy. Just getting ahead. I'll leave you alone with Pansy. Tell them we're going to play a bit of quidditch."_

"_Thanks."_

"We're going to practice a bit on the field," Blaise told them. "See you all for dinner." He and Draco left.

"So, you want to be alone with her?" Draco asked.

"I mean, it's fine if you come too. We _are_ her best friends."

"But I get the feeling you want to be with her without me."

"I really don't mind, Draco. Come with me if you want."

"Alright."

A few minutes later, Pansy heard a knock on her door.

"Come in. Oh, hi guys. Finished your work?"

"Well, a little of it," said Blaise.

"We wanted to hang out with you because we rarely do that anymore. You're so distant, now. What happened, Pansy?"

"Draco, I…I'm not distant."

"Yes, you are," Blaise insisted. "It's hard to get you to laugh, to even smile, to spend time with us anymore."

Well, it was now or never. Maybe not never…but the chance to tell Blaise was slapping her in the face, and she would only be tortured more if she didn't take it.

"Draco, can I please talk to Blaise alone for a little while?"

Draco looked mildly surprised, but shrugged. "Sure. Just come get me when you're done. I'll be in the common room."

"Pansy," Blaise began when Draco shut the door behind him. "You are really worrying me. What's wrong?" The poor girl looked like she was about to cry, so he hurried over to her and sat down on the bed, next to her, and wrapped his arms around her. "Love, please tell me."

"What are your feelings for me, Blaise? Your exact feelings."

"Well, I…wait, what?" This was not what he was expecting Pansy to say.

"Your feelings. What are they?"

"I…you want me to be completely honest, huh?"

"Of course."

"Well…I…uh…have…strong feelings for you. Why are you asking me this? I thought we were taking things slow. I don't mind, I just thought we would lay low for a while."

"Well we can't do that anymore."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Blaise, do you love me?"

His cheeks flushed though it was near impossible to see because of his chocolate colored skin. "I…this isn't the way I wanted to tell you that, Pansy. Why are you trying to get this out of me without it being natural?"

This was apparently the wrong thing to say, but he had to know. He wanted to tell her that he loved her on his own terms. Her eyes teared up and she looked down at her clasped hands.

"I'm sorry! I just need to know. I wanted it to be natural, too, but I need to know now. If you do, or if you are falling in love with me."

"I've always loved you, Pansy."

She collapsed onto his chest and sobbed her heart out, which shocked him to no end.

"Shh, Pansy…why are you crying? I thought that would make you happy."

"Oh, B-Blaise, it does. It's the situation I'm in that's awful." He stroked her head and held her close to him.

"Please tell me what's wrong? Calm down; I'm sure that whatever it is, we can work through it."

She dried her eyes and sat up to face him. "Now that I know…what you feel…it makes it easier for me to tell you this, but it's still hard…Blaise, I…we can't take things slowly anymore."

"Why?"

She took a deep breath. "Because I'm pregnant."

Blaise's eyes shot wide open, and his jaw dropped. "What?" he asked quietly.

"I'm sorry…I didn't plan this. I didn't want this to happen, but it did, and I don't want to get rid of it but if you don't want to have anything more to do with me, I'll understand –" She was cut off by a hand on her mouth, and her eyes widened in surprise.

"Pansy, stop. Slow down. What would ever make you think I would leave you over _anything_?" He took his hand away and she frowned.

"My paranoia."

"Exactly. I'm not going anywhere. And I would never want you to get rid of it. It's my child – our child. An innocent, defenseless baby. You know my views on abor...you know. This is a shock, to say the least, but I'm not leaving you. You're stuck with me, babe, so you'd better get used to it." She smiled brightly, and melted his heart.

"You're not afraid? Angry?"

"I am afraid. I won't say I'm not. But angry? How could I ever be angry over something like this? We were so effin' drunk, Pansy. How could we have performed a contraceptive charm even if we remembered to?"

"I guess…"

"If we worked out – which we will – in a few years, I would have wanted this. Not now, but it happened, and we'll deal with it. Alright?"

"Alright. I love you."

"And I love you, Pansy. I always will."

* * *

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**I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for all of the great reviews! Please keep them coming! And, if you have any constructive criticism, please send it my way!**

**Thanks!**


	25. Where Pansy will go for Christmas Break

Chapter 25

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my made up characters and the plot.

I know Blaise seemed to take the news really well, but trust me, it'll take its toll on him. It's very shocking at first, but it'll hit him later.

* * *

I hope that you can keep it, my dirty little secret

Who has to know?

When we live such fragile lives

It's the best way we survive

* * *

Draco looked up at the noise he heard from behind the couch he was sitting on. He put down his book and turned his body towards the noise.

"So?" But Blaise said nothing. He just looked at Draco with a blank expression on his face. "What's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I'm…shocked, is all."

"Care to tell me?"

"Not here. There are too many ears around. Let's go to my room."

Blaise shared a double with Theodore Nott, and Theo wasn't there at the moment, which was convenient for them though he would find out eventually.

"So tell me what's wrong with her. Is she alright?" Draco asked, worried.

"It depends on what you mean by alright…"

"Blaise, don't beat around the bush. Tell me," he persisted.

Blaise's body slumped with a heavy sigh. "She's pregnant."

Draco's eyes widened. "WHAT?" His friend cringed at the noise. "Holy shit, Blaise!"

"I know…"

"What is she going to do? What are you going to do?"

"What can I do? I can't run away, nor would I ever want to. It's just…I've spent most of my life pining for this girl, and when we finally get together, it's a drunken night of sex and I knock her up."

Draco gave him a concerned look. "You didn't knock her up. You are both responsible. Stop taking the blame for everything, Blaise. What was her reaction?" So Blaise told him everything that happened, everything they said to each other, and Draco listened with rapt attention. He felt for his friends. He certainly never expected something like this to happen. He can only imagine what they are feeling.

"At least she doesn't want to get rid of it. That would kill you."

"I know…gods, Draco. What's going to happen when Voldemort finds out?" Blaise put his head in his hands and sighed, trying not to tear up. He was so afraid of what the dark lord would do to Pansy if he found out that Blaise was the father and not Draco. "That is the _only_ reason why I would consider an ab…NO. I can't even think about that."

"We'll figure something out. We will," he assured his friend. "We'll have to come up with a cover story. Tell him that I'm the father, not you –"

"Oh, yeah, that'll work. A dark-skinned, black-haired baby is your child. Yeah, he'll believe that."

"What I was going to say, before I was interrupted, was to tell him I am the father for now and by the time the baby is born, Potter will most likely have a bigger army assembled and a battle planned. You know what?" Blaise looked up at him. "I can't believe I'm saying this…I heard that he's still holding sessions for Dumbledore's Army. If we join, we can teach the other students the dark magic you aren't taught in school. We can make them much stronger, and then, when the final battle approaches, they'll be a hell of a lot stronger than Voldemort is expecting them to be. We can join the Order of the Phoenix, and teach the other order members, as well."

"Heh. I can't believe you said that, either."

Draco smirked. "It's only to cheer you up!"

"Well, I think it's a great idea. We should talk to Potter."

"I guess we have to, huh?"

Blaise nodded. "He's our only hope. You and I will both be seventeen in December and Pansy will be in March. We have to join the order."

"I have to agree with you…as much as I hate it," Draco said. "Especially now. Our situation is even more dire because of Pansy's condition." A spark lit up in his eyes. "Her condition…so _that's_ why she couldn't play quidditch."

"Huh?"

"When Red came to tell us Pansy wasn't feeling well, and to not ask questions later."

"Ginny knows!"

Draco nodded. "Yeah, she knows."

* * *

"Pansy told me to tell you guys what's wrong with her because she doesn't have the heart to do so, herself," said Ginny.

"Finally," Trinity said. Ginny and Aurora looked at her strangely, and Amanda and Hermione looked confused. "Well, I knew you've been hiding something from us, and it's not cool knowing your friends have a secret and aren't telling the others."

"Trinity, if any of us hide something from the rest of our group, don't assume that we're doing it with no good reason!" Aurora snapped. She rarely got truly angry.

"I told myself that there must be a good reason because you two are my best friends, so I'd like to hear it, Aurora!"

"Pansy is pregnant!" The other three who didn't know were shocked. "She didn't want us to tell you! Is that a good enough reason for you? Ginny was the first to know because she walked into Pansy's room and found her kneeling on the floor, crying, with a pocket knife in her hands. She thought the worst, and ran over to her, so Pansy explained. She was holding the knife because it was a gift from her father, and it calms her. Then, I found out because I asked her why she was acting weird, and she asked us not to tell anyone. I assume because she wanted to be completely sure about it, and she wanted Blaise to be the first to know. Obviously, he wasn't, because we knew before he did. I can only assume that she told him when he went after her earlier today, when they left the study session."

"Oh my goodness…" Hermione breathed. She put her hand to her heart. "The Halloween party!"

Ginny nodded. "They got completely wasted. Nooot a good idea for two sex-deprived people who've had a thing for each other ever since they reached puberty."

"Er, nicely put, Ginny," Amanda said. Ginny just shrugged.

"I knew something was off…" Trinity said, mostly to herself.

"Huh?" Ginny asked.

"She was acting...so strange. I can't explain it, but she wasn't herself. How is she taking it?"

"Well, when we went to Hogsmeade last week, we got a lot of pregnancy tests and went back to school to the Slytherin prefect bathroom," Aurora started.

"She tried a few, and all of them said she was pregnant. The last one said…ah…um…that she was definitely pregnant, yeah." They looked at Ginny suspiciously.

"What did it really say?" Trinity asked.

Ginny looked at Aurora for help, but the blonde shook her head. "I'm not helping you with this one."

"Well…it told us the sex of the baby but I can't tell you! I can't believe I almost did. Pansy would want Blaise to know first, but we happened to be there…"

"Ginny, it's fine," Hermione said. "We understand. What I don't understand is how the gender can be determined so soon. In the muggle world, we can't find out until women are four months pregnant. Sometimes five."

"That's a long time! I don't think I could wait that long," Ginny said.

"Well let's hope you wait a long time before you become pregnant, first," Hermione said. Ginny playfully glared at Hermione, but she knew there was no way she could become pregnant. She and Draco always used a contraceptive charm, and those were 100% safe.

The girls went down to dinner a little while later and sat at the Slytherin table with Draco, Blaise, Pansy, Theo, and Zack. The large group was then joined by Fred and George when the twins saw them enter the Great Hall and sit together.

"What's up?" Fred asked Blaise when he and his twin sat down.

"You look down, mate," George said.

Blaise shrugged. "I'm alright. Not down, just a bit weary."

Fred and George glanced at each other, then shared a look with Trinity across the table, but she quickly turned away. The two of them were thinking the same thing – there was a piece of information she knew that they did not, but they wouldn't push it out of Blaise. They knew it concerned Pansy, but they didn't know what it was. This was bothering them to no end; they always knew things before everyone else, yet this time, it seemed that someone else had gotten it first.

"I know that look," Trinity whispered to them. "You'll have to wait, just like the rest of us did."

Fred put on his best pouty face, but she shook her head and he frowned.

Dumbledore, who was sitting at the teachers' table, smiled with a twinkle in his eyes. There have been inter-house friendships before, but this year was the first year that it truly showed, and all because of Ginny Weasley. There were Gryffindors at the Slytherin table, and sometimes, that particular group of Slytherins sat with the Gryffindors. Not even quidditch could break that group apart. He was tickled pink. He shared a knowing look with Minerva, and went back to his miso soup.

"So where are you going to be for Christmas?" Theo asked Ginny, who was sitting next to him and opposite Draco.

"We're all going home this year, even Ron, who usually stays at Hogwarts. The wives of my brothers Bill and Charlie are pregnant, and we all want to have a family dinner. Harry is coming, too, and Hermione will join us after she visits with her parents. What are you doing? Oh! You should come with us! Or at least visit. I've already asked Rora, but she still has to ask her mother."

"That sounds like fun!" Theo said. "Maybe I will. Thanks!"

Draco looked up. "She didn't say anything to me about that."

"That's because I wanted to clear it with mother, first," Aurora explained. She was sitting two seats away from Ginny, leaving a space between them.

"Hm."

"Oh don't be such a sourpuss," Ginny said. "I'm sure she was going to talk to you about it. You can come, too, but I didn't want to invite you because I thought you'd be staying at your house with Blaise and Pansy, as usual."

Draco's eyes widened. "You were thinking of inviting me? To your place?" He was stunned, and he knew it showed. So he hid it under sarcasm. "Do you realize that I'd be going into the snake pit?"

"Oh but you are a snake, dahling," Fred said with his best impression of a gay man. Those who heard him snorted with laughter, especially Theo, who _was_ gay. Draco narrowed his eyes at Fred, which only caused Fred and George to laugh harder.

"The lion pit, then."

"Us lions? Dangerous? We won't hurt you…much," George said, grinning. He choked on his pumpkin juice when Draco's stare became even more narrowed.

"Well, I am going to my house," Draco said defensively. He didn't want them to know how much Ginny's thoughts about him coming to her home affected him. He was incredibly surprised, and heartened.

"Well fine, I won't ever invite you, then," said Ginny, equally defensive. She went back to stabbing her chicken.

"Aw Gin, I'm sure he would love to, but you see, he's too damned closed-up and proud for his own good," Blaise said. She smiled; he was acting more like himself.

"Who asked you?" Draco asked, turning to face his darker friend.

"I did," Blaise said merrily, eating some more of his steak. He sent a smile to Pansy.

"So Pansy, are you going with Blaise and Mr. Frosty for Christmas?" Ginny asked. Draco glared at her, and she had to do everything she could to keep herself from laughing. Even Pansy cracked a smile, which warmed Ginny's heart.

"What's today's date?" the dark haired girl asked.

"The seventh," Ginny answered. "We have another two weeks to decide before we go home."

"I think so. It's what I usually do after I visit my par…" She was about to say parents, but she stopped herself and looked down at her plate, her heart heavy. "Mother." Draco subtly placed a hand on her knee and squeezed. She looked at him gratefully.

When Harry and Ron walked in, they spotted everyone, looked at each other with a little bit of uncertainty, then Ron started to walk over to the Slytherin table and sat down on Ginny's left. Harry sat between him and his girlfriend.

"What?" Ron asked Draco and Blaise defensively when they stared, surprise clearly written on their faces.

"Nothing, nothing at all," Blaise said, and went back to his food.

"How about we all go to the Room of Requirement after dinner and hang out for a bit? Maybe talk about where everyone is going and how we can see each other over break," Aurora said suddenly, addressing everyone. They all murmured to each other and nodded, all agreeing.

They left the table at different times, and arrived at the Room of Requirement at different times. Fred and George were the last to arrive, as they had taken their time to eat.

"Amanda, when are you arriving at our house?" George asked.

"Uh, Christmas day in the morning. My parents wanted me to at least see them on Christmas before I left. I'll come at eleven. Is that alright?"

"That's fine," Fred said. "Ginny will wake us all up at six AM shouting, 'It's Christmas! It's Christmas! PRESENTS! HOORAY!' so we'll be wide awake by then," he teased.

Ginny lightly punched his shoulder and scowled at him. "I do not do that!"

"You so do," George added.

"I do NOT!"

"Do."

"I admit I used to but I don't do it now!"

Fred leaned over to Blaise and Draco and mock-whispered to them. "_She _so _does."_

They snickered but wisely kept their mouths shut after they saw the look on Ginny's face.

The group talked for a while, then Hermione pulled out a game from her pocket, took the shrinking spell of it, and opened it. There were piles of red and green cards, and everyone looked at her, interested.

"It's a muggle card game. It's called Apples to Apples. It's really fun, I assure you. Who wants to play?"

"How do you play?" Pansy asked. Ginny smiled again.

"Everyone is given seven red cards each. They have adjectives on them. Everyone takes turns, in a circle of being the 'judge' which is the person who is given a green card. The green cards are nouns. The judge puts down one green card in the middle of the circle and everyone else has to put down a red card of their own. Each person picks what they think is the best adjective for the noun, but remember this! Play to the judge. For example, I know Ginny will most likely pick the funniest red card if when is the judge. Everyone is different, so if you know the judge well, play to them. A lot of the time, judges will pick the opposite of the green card they put down. For example, if they put down 'fuzzy' and someone else put down a red card that said 'handcuffs', if the judge has a dirty mind, they might pick handcuffs."

Draco and Blaise snorted and Fred and George laughed outright.

"Well, now you know the people who have dirty minds. So, any questions?" They shook their heads and then began the game. They played for about two hours when Harry and Ron said they had to go to the library to do some studying for potions. Hermione's jaw dropped and the boys laughed at her.

"I'm surprised they came," Pansy said when they left.

"I'm super surprised that they even sat with us at dinner," said Ginny.

"I think Ron is getting used to you being friends with us naughty evil Slytherins," Blaise said. Ginny rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Alright, we're off, too," Fred said, standing and cracking his back.

"We have to hit the…sack."

"You're going off to that tunnel again, aren't you?" Hermione asked.

"Who, us?" George asked innocently.

"You promised to let me look at it again."

"And you shall, my dear Hermione." She smiled and shook her head. They left the room. The people left were Draco, Blaise, Theo, Zack, Pansy, Ginny, Hermione, Amanda, Aurora, and Trinity. Pansy sighed and put her cards down.

"I do believe you told them what happened?" she asked Ginny and Aurora, meaning Hermione, Trinity, and Amanda. Ginny nodded. Pansy looked at Blaise, who gave a reassuring smile and squeezed her hand. Theo and Zack looked very confused.

"You remember that whole thing with Anne, Pansy, and I at the Halloween party, yeah?" Blaise asked him.

"How could I not?"

"Well, she's…pregnant." Theo and Zack's eyes widened.

Zack, who had been lying on his stomach, sat up. "Merlin, you two!" Zack exclaimed.

"That's…a pretty big problem. What are you going to do?" Theo asked.

"Well, that's why I suggested that we meet up here after dinner," Aurora said. "I thought Pansy and Blaise wouldn't want Harry, Ron, Fred, and George to know, but I knew they wouldn't stay as long as us in here."

"Thanks, Rora," Pansy said, sounding tired and wiped out. The blonde girl smiled. "I honestly don't know what to do. I'm not showing yet, because I'm only about five weeks along, but my mother will notice that I'm not myself."

"You can blame that on her murdering your father," Blaise said furiously through his teeth. He loved Mr. Parkinson, who loved Blaise like a son. Blaise also hated how the death of Pansy's father affected the girl. She would randomly become sad and withdrawn, and there was never any warning.

"She'll wonder why that would affect me so heavily," Pansy said. "It won't work. I can try to hide it, but I'll be so paranoid about her finding out that she will become suspicious."

"You shouldn't go home, then," Ginny said.

"But I always used to. She'll blame it on my father's death, and my weak mind. She thinks she did me a favor," Pansy spit out, "by killing him. He made me soft, apparently."

"Well, I don't know what you should tell your mother, but my idea was to tell Voldemort that the baby is mine," Draco said. Ginny bristled at this. She did not like this idea at all. She knew she was being stupid, but she hated that. She really hated it.

"But they're both dark-skinned," Hermione said. "He's not stupid. He'll know it isn't yours."

"Thank you," said Blaise. "My point exactly."

"She's only five weeks pregnant, Blaise," Draco reminded him. "A baby takes eight months to grow. She has seven left."

"Less than seven."

"Alright, one week less! Blaise, we can tell him this and, like I said earlier, Potter will most likely have an army assembled by the time she has it."

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked, now very worried.

Draco, Blaise, and Pansy shared a look, then Pansy explained. "Ginny, the dark lord is getting extremely impatient. He is trying to get as many of his followers as possible together to attack the school by the end of the year. We wanted to tell Po…Harry, but he and Ron left. You, Harry, Ron, and Hermione need to tell the Order as soon as possible."

Ginny nodded shakily. "Okay…thanks for telling us…when did you find out?"

"That's why we were gone last Wednesday night," Draco said, but with a tone that clearly stated he wouldn't say any more on the matter.

"Oh."

"So, what are you going to do about the students?" Trinity asked carefully. "You will eventually show."

"She could use concealment charms," Hermione suggested.

"No…I wouldn't be able to explain why I can't play quidditch…or other things I don't know about yet."

"A lot of Slytherins have parents that are either death eaters or supporters of Voldemort," Theo said, looking at Draco. "If your story is you are the father, how will that work? The whole school knows by now that Blaise and Pansy are a couple."

"They could pretend to the Slytherins that the real couple is Draco and Pansy," Zack said. Most of them forgot he was there because he was so quiet until now. "And act to the rest of the school like it's Blaise and Pansy."

"But it's not acting," Blaise said protectively.

"To the Slytherins, it would be. And you have to act like that. You can't slip, or this plan will never work. To the Slytherins, bash the Gryffindors and say you're only acting like their friends and letting them sit at our table because you want to get on their good side, get into the Order of the Phoenix, and become spies for Voldemort. To everyone else, you won't have to act."

"You know, that's a very good idea," Hermione stated.

"I am known to have them once in a while," Zack said.

"So wait a minute," said Pansy. "Outside the common room, the couple is Blaise and I. Inside the common room, it's Draco and I." Zack nodded. She took a deep breath. "Okay, I can do that. But what will I tell my mother? She's set on marrying me off to Draco, as is the dark lord. He wouldn't like it if he found out that Blaise and I were a couple. His favorite is Draco, even though his father is an incompetent ass and currently in Azkaban. He thinks that Draco has much more potential than his father. If he found out…" She looked very worried.

"So you tell Voldemort and your mother, just like the other Slytherins, that the baby is Draco's but you have to pretend that it is Blaise's in school with everyone else because you are trying to get rooted in the Order for him, to be spies for him."

"Zack, you might have something there," Blaise said. He seemed to like the idea. He saw poor Ginny's glowering face, and was confused. Maybe it was her time of the month? He shrugged. Trinity, however, was suspicious, but she didn't know of what yet. She still wasn't sure of anything and had to get her information completely correct before moving in.

"Alright, that works, but we will have to ask Severus for occlumency and legilimancy lessons. Also, what will I do for Christmas break? I want to perfect this plan before I tell it to my mother."

"Why don't you tell her you want to spy on the Weasleys?" Ginny asked. "And come to our place?"

"NO!"

Everyone looked at Draco.

"Huh?" Ginny asked.

"No! She will come with Blaise and I and be where she'll be safe – at the manor."

"Draco, she'll be the safest she can be at the Burrow," Aurora said gently.

"No she won't! She'll be safest with us!"

"Oh stop being unreasonable!" Ginny said, losing her temper with him finally. "She'll have no excuse to not go to her own home if she says she is going with you. Her mother will become suspicious if Pansy says she wants to go straight to your place!"

"Her mother wants her to marry me!" he said, and immediately regretted it, but said nothing. A glimmer of pain shot across Ginny's eyes, but it was gone as soon as he saw it. "If she tells her mother that she wants to rope me in, finally, her mother will have no problem with it."

"But she'll be safer at the Burrow! My brother Bill is a curse breaker for Gringotts, Charlie works with _dragons_, Fred and George are the best at hexes and diversions, Ron's temper is scary, and I held off five death eaters in the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry of Magic last year! My mum and dad are members of the Order, too! Harry, might I remind you, defeated Voldemort when he was just a baby and has defeated him multiple times since then, Hermione is the smartest witch of her age, and Aurora is one of the best students in our defense against the dark arts classes and that's not because Snape is her godfather. Remus Lupin and Tonks will also make frequent appearances. My place is where Pansy will be safest!"

"I don't want her out of my sight!"

"THEN STAY AT OUR PLACE, FOR MERLIN'S SAKE! STOP BEING SELFISH AND UNREASONABLE!"

"Your place can barely hold nine people, and you're already cramming it! Its dirty, frayed, and with that many people in it, it might finally fall apart," he said nastily.

Ginny couldn't believe what he was saying. "At least I'm nice enough to invite you! But forget it, now! I don't fucking care. At least we're a loving lot! Blaise, you are, of course, still invited." Ginny's eyes began to water. She stood up quickly and left, slamming the large oak door behind her.

"Oh well done, Draco," Aurora said. She got up with Hermione, Trinity, and Amanda, and promptly left to find Ginny. Zack and Theo glanced at each other.

"I should probably get a good night's rest," Theo said. Zack agreed, and they left.

"Well? Aren't you two going to leave, as well?"

"Don't cop an attitude with me, Draco," Pansy said. "I can't believe what you said to Ginny. Her place _is_ the safest I can be, and that is where I will go. I hope you can learn to accept it, and apologize to her for being such an ass." She stood. "I'll see you tomorrow, Blaise." He nodded as she left.

"So…nice work."

"Shut up."

* * *

**-

* * *

I hope you liked it! I shall write more as soon as I can!**


	26. The Meeting with Mrs Weasley

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that's not mine.

* * *

When we live such fragile lives

It's the best way we survive

I'll go around a time or two

Just to waste my time with you

* * *

_Mum,_

_I need to speak with you, but in person. Can you please meet me in the Three Broomsticks this Saturday? I know we just had a Hogsmeade weekend, but years five, six, and seven are allowed to go into Hogsmeade because it is the last weekend before exams and they apparently want us to "wind down." I want to meet with you about something important…remember when you told me this summer that you would help anyone in trouble, even if their parents were on the dark side? Well, I can't reveal too much in this letter, but please trust me when I say that I am not in danger. Only my friend. I wanted to talk to you to see if we, or the Order, could do anything to protect my friend._

_I am well and I hope you and dad are alright. Give my best to Dad, and Charlie and Bill if you are going to send them a letter anytime before I come home for break._

_Love,_

_Ginny_

"Anything important, Molly?"

"Oh, no. It's from Ginny. She is just checking in. She is well, and asked me to say hello to you." Molly gave him a loving smile. She wanted to tell him what else the letter said, but Ginny clearly did not want her to; the letter would have been addressed to them both, if she had.

"Oh, well when you send your reply, tell her I say hello!"

"I will, dear."

Arthur kissed her gently and walked away. She sighed, then looked at the letter and smiled. No matter how important or how unimportant a letter from Ginny was, Ginny's handwriting always made Molly smile.

_Dear Ginny,_

_Of course I remember. Though I cannot say I am not worried, I will meet you. Will your friend be there? Who is it? What time on Saturday?_

_Love,_

_Mum

* * *

-

* * *

_

The family owl, a new bird named Apollo (Errol was on retirement), flew into Ginny's dorm after she opened the window for him. She lightly stroked his beautiful, dark brown head and gave him a treat, to which he hooted happily. He was a very pleasant, even-tempered bird that was not prone to mood swings like Hedwig. Ginny liked him.

"Hang on for my reply, please, Apollo." He hooted at her and she smiled, petting his head again.

She read her mother's beautiful script as fast as she could; she always had trouble with reading script. Then, she picked up a quill and started to write back.

_Mum,_

_Ten thirty. If that is a bad time for you, send me a letter. She is Pansy Parkinson. She is in trouble, mum. Please don't judge her. She's a good friend of mine._

_Love,_

_Ginny

* * *

-

* * *

_

Molly knew her daughter was friends with quite a few Slytherins, courtesy to Ron's angry letters. She wasn't a judgemental person, but she knew the danger associated with the Parkinson name. Not the father. The mother. She was well-known, powerful, rich, and everyone thought her to be a death eater, but she could not be taken to Azkaban because the Aurors couldn't prove anything she has been known to do. Molly was sure that Anolani Parkinson bought her way out of trials and trouble. The ministry was getting worse, and was already infiltrated by Voldemort's followers, but again, no one could prove anything because dark marks could be concealed and people can be good actors.

To say Molly was worried about her daughter was an understatement.

* * *

"Are you sure about this?"

"_Yes_, Pansy. I'm positive. For the last time, she doesn't judge people."

"Ginny, don't you realize how powerful and dangerous my mother is? I'm sure your mother knows, and she won't view me as any other normal person."

They were on their way to Hogsmeade, but they were using the passage guarded by the statue of the one-eyed witch because they didn't tell anyone where they were going. They didn't tell Draco and Blaise that they were going to meet with Ginny's mother. They didn't even tell them that they were leaving the castle at all. They met up that morning and left secretly.

They walked into the tavern and went up to the bar.

"What can I do for you, miss?" Madam Rosmerta asked Ginny.

"I was hoping that you would have a room I could just talk to someone in. My mother is meeting us here and we need to speak in private. We won't be long."

"Oh, of course. Take this key – I won't charge you – upstairs to room two-fifteen. Is your mother here?"

"No, she is coming in a few minutes. She is kind of a stout woman – not big, but not thin with bright red hair like mine. She'll probably come up to you and ask you if I am already here. Her name is Molly Weasley."

"Of course. Go on up."

Ginny and Pansy slipped upstairs after looking around to see if anyone spotted them. Not six minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" Ginny called.

"It's me, Ginny."

Ginny got up from the bed, where she and Pansy were sitting, and opened the door. She closed it after her mother walked into the room and sat on a chair. Ginny went back to her spot on the bed.

"Mum, this is Pansy. Pansy, this is my mum."

Pansy hesitantly stuck out her hand to shake Mrs. Weasley's. "It's…nice to meet you, Mrs. Weasley."

"Nice to meet you, too. Ginny told me you were in trouble. What is the problem?"

"Well…"

"She's not on the dark side, mum. She's with us, and when her mother finds out, she will torture Pansy. She might try to kill her, like Pansy's father."

"Oh my…well, what's the problem? What do you want me to do?"

"We were wondering…well, I was wondering, if she could stay with us over break."

"Of course…but there's something you're not telling me." She watched her daughter for any sign of weakness, and she spotted it. Ginny shifted slightly from one foot to the other. "And I won't consent until I hear it."

'_Damnit!'_ Ginny thought. _'How does she DO that?'_

"Well, can't we talk about that a bit later?"

"Ginevra!"

"She's in a predicament. Ah…and if her mother finds out she's on our side –"

"You already said that! Ginny, you're really worrying me!"

"She –"

"I'm pregnant."

The silence that followed was almost deafening. Ginny looked down at her hands. She had hoped they wouldn't have to tell her mother everything, but as always, her mother never missed anything.

"I…well…I wasn't expecting that," Molly said, shocked.

"Everyone…on the dark side, that is…expects me to marry Draco…and it's not his. If she finds out, she really might do some damage. She might even kill the baby." Pansy tried not to cry, but a lone tear slipped down her face.

"Well…what are you going to do?" Molly asked, cautiously.

"I…talked with Ginny and a few others, and decided that it would be best to tell my mother, the Slytherins, and Vol…sorry, you-know-who, that the baby _is_ Draco's, but I'm to 'pretend' to everyone else that it's someone else's, as I have been seen with him for the last few weeks. I would tell Vol...you-know-who, that Blaise and I will become spies for him. Ginny was hoping that you would let me stay with you for the break, and I would tell my mother that I was spying on the Weasleys. I understand if you don't want to allow this…I know how irresponsible I am to have let this happen, and I know my mother's reputation, and I don't want to put you on the spot...and overwhelm you."

"Well, Pansy, I admit that I was nervous about Ginny being friends with you because of who your mother is, but I can see that you are nothing like her. I will also say this. You are not putting me on the spot. You seem like a smart girl, and yes, getting pregnant at your age is irresponsible, but I don't judge you because of it." Pansy's eyes widened. "I had my Bill when I was nineteen. My family constantly told me how disgusting it was to be pregnant that early and unmarried. They told me all the time that Arthur would just leave me with the baby and I would be left with nothing because they would leave me, too.

They said awful things about me, and I'm not about to let that happen to you because I am the happiest woman in the world, now. I may be poor when I used to be rich, but I have the love of my life with me and seven beautiful children. What we may view as mistakes may actually be good things, but we will never know until later on in life. So…if Draco Malfoy isn't the father, may I ask who is?"

"Blaise Zabini."

* * *

"My! Running inside my tavern?"

"Sorry Madam Rosmerta, but we really need to find someone!"

"Who?"

"Ginny Weasley, a girl with bright red hair."

"Have you seen her?"

"Yes, she is upstairs in room two-fifteen –"

"Thanks!"

They ran upstairs, and she shook her head. "Don't run in my tavern!"

* * *

"Isn't Blaise Zabini's family highly thought of by…by Voldemort?" Molly asked, forcing the name out of her mouth. She refused to be scared of a name any longer.

"No," Pansy said. "His parents hate Voldemort. I can't say much because it's his business, but something happened years ago to someone in his family and he joined to protect his parents. Voldemort loves Blaise, but Draco is his favorite," Pansy explained. "And Draco and I are supposed to marry, which will never happen. Mrs. Weasley –"

"Molly, dear."

"…Molly, I want to thank you for not judging me…and giving me a chance."

Mrs. Weasley smiled. "Of course, dear."

Suddenly, the door burst open and Draco and Blaise, while shouting at the same time, ran in.

"GINNY! Where's Pansy?" Draco shouted.

"We can't find…her…" but the words died on Blaise's lips when he saw Mrs. Weasley.

"Oh…" Draco said.

"What is with you two?" Ginny asked after her heart nearly leapt from her chest.

"We couldn't find Pansy, so we went to look for you," Blaise said, cautiously glancing at Mrs. Weasley.

"Since you're usually in the Three Broomsticks, we went inside but couldn't find you so we asked Madam Rosmerta," Draco explained.

"Well, we're here…" Pansy said.

"Please excuse us, Mrs. Weasley," Blaise said politely, to which the older woman smiled. "Why didn't you tell us you were going to talk to your mother, Gin?"

"We wanted it to be just us," Ginny began.

"We knew you two would insist on coming along, and I didn't want to overwhelm Mrs. Weasley more than I knew I already would be," Pansy said.

They started to protest, but Pansy held up her hands, and they stopped.

"Pansy, you weren't overwhelming me. You were simply asking me a question, and I am going to help you. I certainly won't leave you to that…that woman," Molly said, the last part a little too viciously. "I'm sorry, that was wrong of me."

"No, it's alright, really. There is not one part of me that likes my mother. Say whatever you want about her."

Blaise walked up to Pansy and took her face in his hands. "We were so worried. You usually come straight to us on Hogsmeade weekends. Don't do that again. Especially…now that…you're so much more precious to me."

"I'm sorry…It's not a Hogsmeade weekend, though. It's just for the fifth, sixth, and seventh years because we have the hardest exams. It's just a relaxing weekend."

"I know, but still. You should have told us." He let his forehead rest on Pansy's.

Molly smiled at the scene; it warmed her heart. "Well, I have seen all I needed to see. Pansy you are a responsible, smart young woman. Getting pregnant doesn't mean you are completely irresponsible. Blaise loves you, that is quite certain, and I will help you both. You are more than welcome at our home any day, as are Blaise and Draco."

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," Pansy said. Blaise and Draco thanked her, also. Molly smiled. Pansy would apparently always call her Mrs. Weasley, just like Harry and Hermione. She would stop insisting on her preferred name if it made the girl feel uncomfortable. "But, won't I cause a scene in your house? Especially if Draco and Blaise come over…"

"Oh no. Don't you worry about them. Ron is the only one who has a problem with Slytherins, but he'll come around. Bill had quite the Slytherin best friend when he was in school. They now work together. From what I've heard, Fred and George are also part of your group of friends. Am I right?" Pansy nodded, smiling. Molly turned to Blaise and Draco. "You two may visit whenever you like. Draco, I assume your sister is still staying with us?" He nodded. "Good. Well, I must be going. Ginny, I'll be waiting at the platform for you." Ginny smiled as her mother left the room, Draco holding the door open for her.

"Well, that was…interesting," he said.

"I didn't think she'd be so accepting," said Pansy, who was still sitting on the bed.

"I told you she would be."

"Ginny, no offense, but it's hard to believe because I know everyone knows my mother's reputation, that she's a death eater, and it makes it even worse that none of that stuff can be proven. It makes people more afraid of her because rumors are worse than reality. Rumors cause more damage than knowing what she is and what she's done."

"We'll find a way to lock her up," Blaise said. "I promise you that."

"Well, remember, my mother said that she had Bill when she was nineteen, so she was eighteen when she got pregnant with him," Ginny reminded her. "She was twenty-one when she had Charlie, and then Percy came five years later. The twins two years after that, then Ron, then me. She's had a lot of children, and her family still doesn't talk to her. They don't want to admit that they were wrong in what they did to her, and they also think she is lower than them because she is now poor. She received no money when her grandparents died, and I'm sure she won't get any from her parents, either, but she has a good life. She's happy." Ginny glanced pointedly at Draco, then back at Pansy. She would have seen a guilty look on Draco's face, had she kept her gaze on him. "At least you don't have to worry about your mother disowning you."

"Yeah…I'd love that," Pansy admitted, "but it's the whole hunting me down and killing my baby part that I'm not so keen on."

"Well, like I said, we'll figure something out. And I told Harry about what Voldemort's planning. He said he'd tell the Order right away, and that he would hold more D.A. meetings. Are you joining? I'll make the arrangements with him if you are."

Pansy nodded. "Yeah. He'll be at your house over break, right?" Ginny nodded. "So, he can catch me up on what you've done so far."

"It's a lot."

"I'm a fast learner."

Ginny smiled. "Good. We should get going. I still want to go to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes."

Pansy walked out the door first, followed by Ginny but she was stopped by Draco.

"Ginny –"

She looked at him not with an angry expression on her face, but one of sadness, and pain.

"I don't really want to talk to you right now, Draco."

And she left.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed that chapter. I am writing more soon. School just started for me again, and I'm taking a lot of classes.


	27. The DA

Chapter 27

Disclaimer: I own nothing that isn't mine.

Boo: Please read more carefully, and please read more than one chapter if you have questions. All of your questions are answered in my story. They aren't in their seventh year. They have to be seventeen to be in the order. Ginny just turned 16, and the others are almost seventeen. The oldest you can be at Hogwarts is eighteen, and that's in seventh year. The "gang" is in their sixth and Ginny is in her fifth; she is an old fifth year and just missed the age line for being in Ron's year. They are barely nine months apart. Molly got pregnant with her a little over a month after Ron was born.

Fred and George were forced to go back by Molly because she refused to have any one of her children not finish school. I also changed the rules around a bit. I had Head Boy and Head Girl be in their sixth year instead of their seventh because seventh year involves NEWTs, and I can't even imagine how hard that would be to try and juggle Head duties and NEWT studying.

Okay…so quite few people have asked me why Ginny was upset with Draco. I don't know why. Was I not clear enough? I thought I was very clear. It was in the chapter before the last one, at the end. Draco was being an ass. He was being too protective of Pansy, and wanted her to go to his manor over Christmas break instead of with the Weasleys because he thinks the Weasleys won't be as safe as his manor.

I don't know why people keep asking me about this. There was a CLEAR argument, Draco was CLEARLY being an ass to Ginny, and CLEARLY insulted her family so she got upset and left the room and still will not speak to him because she is very upset.

Anyway…

Fifth and seventh years don't have midterms like everyone else because they are given more work than the other houses to get ready for OWLs and NEWTs.

One more thing. Thank you, smlown508 For giving me an idea for this chapter! It is towards the end, with Draco and Ginny.

I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

I'll go around a time or two

Just to waste my time with you

Tell me all that you've thrown away

Find out games you don't wanna play

* * *

Ginny was avoiding Draco, and he hated it. He felt guilty, he was disgusted with himself, and he was sexually frustrated. The latter, however, was the last thing on his mind. Now, he was searching for her. He _had_ to speak with her before she left for Christmas break, and it was already Tuesday. He knew she had her potions class, so he decided to wait in the dungeons outside of the classroom for her to come out. He slipped inside a closet and waited. When she came out, he grabbed her and pulled her in.

"WHA?"

"Ginny, it's me. Calm down." He turned on the light.

"Draco! You can't just pull me into a closet! Let me go!"

"No, I won't. Not until I speak with you."

"Well, then? Talk!"

"I…I'm…look, I didn't mean to insult your family."

"And?"

"What more do you want from me? I'm apologizing, aren't I? I always insult your family. Why was this time any different?"

"Because we are together, Draco. It _is_ different. And it's not even that. You don't trust me. That you don't trust my family means that you don't trust me. We've been together for three months. I don't expect you to fall in love with me. I don't expect you to show the entire school that we're together. I don't expect you to do everything for me, to put me before everything else. But I _do_ expect you to at least trust me. Now let me go."

"I'm sorry! Okay? I'm sorry. I do trust you. I don't trust your family. It's because I don't know them, Gin."

"You don't trust Fred and George?" she asked accusingly. "They see you as one of their _friends_!" she spat.

"What?"

"A friend, Draco. They've dropped all prejudices against you and they don't think you're a bad person! So has Hermione!"

Draco's eyes widened, and his cold heart thawed just a little more. He hadn't known the twins thought of him as a friend. He knew Hermione was fine with him, but not Fred and George.

"Ginny, I _am_ sorry. You know I didn't mean to hurt you. I was an asshole, and I'm sorry. I don't know why you won't accept that…"

She continued to glare at him. "Do you even get it? Do you understand how hurtful it is to have someone you care about say something harsh about your family? Especially when it involves trust?"

"I'm apologizing to you, damnit! Quit the guilt tripping! What else do you want me to say?"

"You really hurt me, Draco! A simple apology isn't just going to completely erase my feelings on the matter. I want you to understand that, not think that saying sorry will fix everything, because it doesn't."

"I am extremely protective of the people I care for and I've known Pansy all my life! Now my best friends are together and will have a baby and if Voldemort finds out that it isn't mine, he'll KILL us all! I can't let that happen. Also, I've only really known you for three months. Our families have been feuding for centuries and I have issues with trusting people so excuse me if I can't trust your family, but not trusting your family doesn't mean I don't trust you. I'm sorry that _you_ can't understand _that_."

He kissed her gently on her pretty lips, opened the door, and left her there. She dropped to the floor, wrapped her arms around her knees, and wept.

* * *

-

* * *

"What's up?" Harry asked an hour later when Ginny joined him and the others at the Gryffindor table for lunch. Pansy knew something was wrong, because Ginny always sat at the Slytherin table. She shrugged, stood, and walked over to the Gryffindor table and sat down next to Ginny. A lot of people in the Great Hall raised eyebrows because she rarely sat at that table, but she didn't care.

"Hey Pansy. I'm good. How did you do on your midterm exams, Harry?"

"I think I did well. It's so unfair that you don't have them."

"Fred and George don't have them, either." She grinned. "What exam did you have today?"

"I had transfiguration and potions. Tomorrow, I have charms, the next day I have DADA and herbology. Then I'm done."

"It's so unfair that fifth and seventh years don't have midterm exams," Ron said, sulking.

"You were loving it last year," Ginny said grumpily. "You rubbed it in my face every chance you got. Feels pretty bad, doesn't it? I don't have miiiiidterms. I don't have miiiiidterms. WHOO!" Ginny shot her arms in the air in a triumphant pose.

Pansy shook her head and laughed. "Oh get over yourself." She playfully shoved Ginny, who playfully glared back. Ginny usually would have started laughing, but she didn't. She simply looked down at the table, and Pansy noticed this. She would have to talk to Draco later.

Later that day, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were in the library, studying hard for their next midterm exams when something caught their eyes; they saw Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini, and Pansy Parkinson walking up to them. Hermione put down her quill and smiled weakly; she had been studying hard and clearly needed a break.

"Do you need something?" she asked. Pansy sat so as to not seem intimidating. Blaise followed her, and, hesitantly, Draco.

"We want to join the D.A," Pansy said. This surprised the trio.

"All of you?" Harry asked. He looked pointedly at Draco, and they nodded.

"Let me get this straight," Ron said. "You," he said, addressing Draco, "want to join the D.A. after what you did to nearly destroy it? You were on the inquisitorial squad! What makes you think we'd let you in?"

"Ron," Harry warned.

"I was also in the inquisitorial squad, but, as you can see, I'm now one of your sister's best friends," said Pansy. "We never said we enjoyed that. We just did it to stay out of trouble. If I recall, I heard Umbridge used the cruciatus on Harry. I wouldn't want that, would you?"

"You still caused many of us to get caught. And you helped."

Draco stood quite violently. "I told you it was pointless," he said to his two friends. "Let's go." He turned to walk away but he heard Hermione call after him.

"Draco, wait! Ron, stop being such an ass. They've obviously changed! Draco, come back and we'll talk."

"No offense, but I'd rather not be tarnished by being in Weasley's presence."

"Oh now you're both being five-year-olds! Get back here and we'll tell you about the D.A., but you have to cooperate!"

"Draco, come on. This was _your_ idea," Pansy said pointedly. The trio's eyes widened.

"What?" Ron asked.

"It was your idea?"

"Surprised, Potter?"

"Well, yeah."

"Sit down, Draco," Blaise said.

The blonde walked back to the table and sat down, his face contorted in a nasty sneer.

"You know, if you constantly sneer, your face will be permanently stuck that way," said Hermione, chuckling.

"Oh shut up, Hermione."

"So why do you want to join now, of all times?" Harry asked.

"Part of the answer to that question isn't something that should be discussed here," Pansy answered. "However, we will tell you…" She glanced at Blaise, who took her hand in his and squeezed. "Soon. All I'll say is it's the reason I'm staying with the Weasley's for Christmas," she whispered. Ron just stayed silent. He wouldn't ruin his relationship with Ginny again. Besides, it wasn't Parkinson he had problems with in the past.

"Alright, then, are you sure you want to join?" Harry asked.

Pansy nodded. "I spoke with Ginny on Saturday about it."

"Potter, Voldemort is getting restless and impatient," Draco said seriously and as quietly as he could. "He's going to attack the school sometime during the end of the year. I know Red told you. You need to tell the Order. You need to step up your curriculum. I don't know what you teach the members of the D.A., but you all need to be taught dark magic, not just defensive spells and what you could easily learn in school or on your own. We were brought up with that dark magic, and we can teach it to them. And you. Death eaters will not hesitate to kill. They don't have the ability to feel pity. You need to know what we have to show you."

"Alright. That makes sense."

"We are all almost seventeen. We were going to talk to Dumbledore about it, and we've already spoken to Snape."

Harry nodded. "Alright. I do want to know why…this is so sudden…but I will wait because it is obviously something serious."

"Thank you, Harry," Pansy said sincerely. He smiled lightly; he still wasn't used to talking with them, but he'd be damned if he didn't help when help was so obviously needed.

"Our last meeting for this semester is tonight, actually. Hermione, can you make them coins?"

"I don't have the fake galleons, but Pansy will be at the Weasley's home for the entirety of break and I suppose Draco and Blaise will visit once or twice." Ron made a sour face, but again, remained quiet. "We can do it then." She turned back to the three Slytherins. "We use a special coin to communicate with each other. It heats up when we are having a meeting. When you look at it, it tells you the time and date of the next meeting. But we'll just tell you the time tonight. It's at eight o'clock, right after dinner, in the Room of Requirement. Oh! I almost forgot. You need to sign."

She dug through her bag and pulled out a piece of parchment what was charmed to never rip. It said Dumbledore's Army on the top and had a list of names. Pansy signed first, then Blaise, then Draco.

"Alright! Congratulations. You are now officially members of the D.A. I don't mean to cut our meeting short, but we have a lot of work to do…" Hermione said.

"We understand," said Blaise. "We do, too. See you later." They left, then went to their common room to do some studying, themselves.

* * *

-

* * *

"Come in."

"Hi."

"Oh, hello…"

"I, uh…just wanted to tell you that we're joining the D.A. Pansy, Draco, and I."

"That's good…why are you telling me? Isn't it supposed to be secret? Especially when talking to a Slytherin."

"I wanted to ask if you wanted to come with us tonight, Anne. That's all. I know you aren't in league with Voldemort, that you are against him and his cause. That's why. I just thought you'd like to be involved. Room of Requirement at eight o'clock. I hope to see you there. Oh, and please don't tell anyone else."

Blaise took a deep breath when he left her room. That was a hard thing to do. He had been doing everything he could to avoid her because he felt disgusting because of what he did to her, but he had to tell her about this. If anyone was more against Voldemort than himself, it was Anne.

"How did it go?" Pansy asked softly when he got to her room.

"Alright, I guess. Well, let's go to dinner."

Harry could sense that everyone was nervous about the three most notorious Slytherins being there with them. He took a breath, and began.

"We are starting something new, everyone. I'm sure you all know Pansy Parkinson, Blaise Zabini, and Draco Malfoy. They have joined us and will be joining the Order, as well. What we are starting are lessons in dark magic. Voldemort is getting…restless, and is planning something, and we have to be ready. Malfoy made a good point to me today. Death eaters won't hold back. They'll laugh at your defensive spells, then kill you and think nothing of it. You have to know how to defend yourselves with better, more serious magic than we have been learning."

"What sort?" asked Seamus Finnigan.

Harry cautiously glanced at the Slytherins.

"The three forbidden curses are very important, and others," said Draco. The door opened and they all reached for their wands, but it was a blonde girl who walked through.

"I…I'm sorry I'm late. I was told to come here for the D.A. meeting…"

Harry, Ron, and Hermione glanced at each other, then back at her.

"This is the right place," Hermione said. "You are Anne, right? From Slytherin?" The girl nodded. "Well, you'll have to sign your name on the list, and then we'll get started," she said with a warm smile. She did like Blaise, but she felt so badly for Anne. She didn't blame Blaise for doing what he did, but she was a little disappointed in him even though she couldn't see the situation going any other way. So, she would do what she could for Anne.

While Hermione got out the list for Anne to sign, Harry continued.

"Well, since this is the last meeting before break, and we all have exams…or, at least people who don't have OWLs or NEWTs…we'll start with the easier spells and work our way up when we come back. These three will be running most of the lessons in dark magic because they are the ones teaching us the darker spells, so please be respectful. When we get back from break, bring as many spells and curses you can think of so we can all teach each other. Let's start."

Draco looked at Blaise, who shrugged; they always seemed to be able to read each other's minds, even if it was just because they knew each other so well.

"Right, well, first of all, none of the spells we will teach you are easy. Yes, there are easier ones, but they are all difficult and you can't be a ninny if you're going to use them. If you think you can't harm someone who is trying to kill you, leave now." When no one left, he continued. "Good. Well, I guess we'll start with _imperio_?" Blaise asked Draco, then looked at Pansy. They both nodded. "Alright. Repeat this, but with no wands. _Imperio_."

"_Imperio_."

"It isn't a hard one to pronounce, but you must get it right," Blaise began. "If you don't, the person will only be partly under your control, and can let slip something to someone…it's a messy thing. Pair up and try it. After you say the spell, tell your partner to do something. If you are the one who is being put under the spell, you will feel a sort of haze wash over you. You will feel happy, and calm, as if nothing bad could happen. When someone tells you to do something, like jump, or run around the room, or do cartwheels – now, nothing dangerous, folks – try to ask yourself why. 'Why should I do this? I see no reason to.' Try _not_ to do what you are told to do. Go ahead."

Harry paired up with Ron, and they began.

"_Imperio!_" shouted Harry. Ron's eyes glazed over. It looked like he was in class and not paying attention. "Walk in a circle." Ron turned both ways, but was confused.

"You have to be very specific!" Blaise shouted over shouts of '_imperio!_'.

"Walk in a circle, clockwise," Harry said. Ron walked in a circle. "Do jumping jacks." Ron did one, then stopped.

'_What? Why jumping jacks? No, I think I won't.'_

"Good, Weasley!" Blaise said as he passed them. He walked over to Hermione and Luna to watch their progress – Luna was currently acting like a chicken. It was quite a funny site.

"_Finite incantatum_," Harry said. "Okay, try it on me."

"Wait…did Zabini just give me a…compliment?" Ron asked.

Harry snorted and rolled his eyes. "All right, hot-shot. Cast it on me."

A praise was heard from Pansy – Neville had successfully performed _imperio_ on Ginny and Ginny fought it.

This went on for about ten minutes. George was able to fight it, but Fred wasn't, at first. He eventually did – after about eleven tries. Pansy, Draco, and Blaise went around and gave advice, and eventually, Harry joined them after proving himself to be a pro at fighting and casting the imperius curse.

Neville and Ginny took a break. Ginny went to sit on a bench and Neville took the chance to watch everyone else. He noticed that the blonde girl who came in late – what was her name? – was by herself because there was an odd number of people, so she was practicing on a dummy the room provided for her. However, she couldn't practice with the imperius curse on her, so she kept casting it on the dummy. He walked over to her and, smiling, asked if she wanted a partner.

"Oh, sure, thank you. You are…?"

"Neville. Sorry…I know Hermione said your name earlier, but I can't remember it…I'm horrible at remembering things, but I seem to have gotten much better since the D.A. meetings started. Oh, I'm babbling…sorry."

But she didn't look at him as if he was weird. She smiled, which caused him to do the same. "It's alright. I'm Anne. Could you, maybe, cast the spell on me, please? I haven't been able to practice fighting it."

"Sure. _Imperio._"

Anne felt a warm, calm haze come over her. She felt happy, as if her broken heart had mended.

"Walk backwards." She walked backwards. "Walk towards me." She did as she was told. "Walk around me." As soon as she took the first step, she faltered.

"_Why?"_

"Walk around me," came Neville's voice, more commanding this time. She took another step, then another. "Walk around me, Anne." The voice was so persistent, but why should she walk around him? He said it again, and she relented, and walked around him. She came to a stop in front of him, and he took the curse off her.

"Did I break it?"

"Almost! But no...try again."

"Oh, alright."

"_Imperio!_" After quite a few tries, almost as many as Fred, she finally fought it. "Great job!" Neville said when he took it off.

"That's enough for the imperius curse, for now!" Blaise shouted. He turned to Draco, who had been practicing with Blaise and Pansy on and off – they had deemed it safe to practice imperio on her, as long as they only asked her to walk. "Draco? Should we show them the cruciatus?"

"You're not going to ask us to perform that on _each other_, are you?"

"Calm down, Finch-Fletchley. Of course I wouldn't allow that," Draco said with a sneer.

"Then how will we practice?" asked Roger Davies.

"I was wondering if the room could help a little with that," Draco said. Suddenly, there were wardrobes and desks all around the room. They shook randomly, and Draco smirked. "Wow, smart room. Okay, so we practice on boggarts. To perform the cruciatus on someone, or something, you have to _mean_ it. So, what better way to practice than on your worst fears? Now, before you start, you must see how to flick your wrist in the right way, or it won't work. Patil…uh, the one afraid of snakes…can you come here, please? Thanks." Draco opened a desk drawer and asked her to step in front of it. When a giant snake appeared in front of her, Draco said, "_Crucio!_" and the snake fell to the ground, writhing and almost screaming in pain.

"Why did that work for you? Do you hate snakes that much?" asked Colin Creevey.

"I am in the house of the serpent, am I not? It worked for me because that curse, along with many others, has been drilled into me since I was a child."

"But what if our worst fears are the deaths of our loved ones?" Hermione asked. "How are we supposed to cast _crucio_ on them? Also, boggarts are living things! You can't just torture them as you please!"

"First of all, if your worst fears are the deaths of people you care about, have someone else stand in front of the boggart while you cast it. Second of all, nothing the Room of Requirement produces is real. They only act and look real. So, those aren't really boggarts. Now pick a couple of partners. This isn't something two people should be doing. Then, go to a desk or wardrobe and open it. One person should stand in front of it, and the other two will practice _crucio_."

Parvati teamed up with Ginny and Justin Finch-Fletchley. They already knew of Parvati's fear of snakes, thanks to Professor Lupin's boggart lesson, so they put her in front of a desk. Ginny opened it, and Justin went first. The snake writhed in pain, but it didn't seem to be strong enough. This seemed to be happening with most of the groups, so Draco stopped the progress and had them put the boggarts away.

"Hermione, do you think the room can provide us with life-like dummies of death eaters?" Suddenly, the desks and wardrobes vanished, only to be replaced with what really looked like the death eaters. "Oh…I guess it can." He turned to the group. "Practice on them. They can't do any damage to you, but they will act as if they feel the pain. This should get you going."

His plan worked. The boggarts were a good start for beginners. Now, the students would be tested with this. However, Draco's sanity was about to be tested, as well. He looked over at Parvati, Ginny, and Justin, and noticed that Ginny was having trouble with the curse. She was too sweet, that was her problem. He wanted to help her, but he wouldn't. He wanted to make up with her, too, but he wanted her to come to him after what happened earlier that day. Just then, he saw Justin walk behind her and take hold of her wand hand to show her how to perform the curse. Draco saw red. He stalked over to them and shoved the other boy out of the way.

"You're doing it wrong," he said defensively. He then took over. He placed his left hand on Ginny's left shoulder and tilted it back a little. Then he placed his right hand over Ginny's, and did the intricate motion. "That's how you do it," he said, much more gently this time, as he was speaking to Ginny. She looked up at him and her heart fluttered. When he left, he brushed his fingers from her shoulder to her neck, and she knew that they were going to be okay.

* * *

-

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed it. That little thing at the end is courtesy to smlown508. Thank you so much for the comment that formed the idea!**


	28. Author's Note

Author's note

Well, I stupidly took out my previous author's note and that screwed up the correspondance between the reviews and the chapters. So, if you go to read the reviews for my story, keep in mind that the ones for the later chapters are most likely actually for the chapter before the one it says it's for.

Please excuse my lateness with some chapters. I am taking classes that ave a lot of work involved, and my schedule is hectic. I will try as hard as I can to update as fast as I can, but I also don't want to rush this story. It is going to be very long. Oh, and Fred DOES NOT DIE. If you're expecting that, stop reading. Anyway, Thanks for sticking with me. The next chapter should be up soon.

Aiyoku


	29. Home

Chapter 28

Disclaimer: I own nothing that is not mine.

Thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews! Here's the next chapter!

I know that Draco is very out of character in the beginning of this chapter, but it just happened. Like I always say, stories write themselves. We're just their pawns. :D So please do not say in your reviews that Draco is ooc because I know he is and it was because of Ginny, not anyone else.

* * *

Tell me all that you've thrown away

Find out games you don't wanna play

You are

The only one that needs to know

* * *

"WE'REDONEWE'REDONEWE'REDONEWE'REDONEWE'REDONE!" Ginny shouted as she raced through the halls with Aurora and Trinity after their last class. Classes for them and seventh years continued while the other students had their midterms, which were scheduled around the fifth and seventh year class times. Students who were used to Ginny's antics merely shook their heads and either chuckled or went back to what they were doing. Students who were not used to her looked at her as if she were very strange.

"Ginny!"

"Wait!"

The two girls laughed as they hurried behind Ginny, who raced past Fred and George. They finally reached the common room, where Ginny repeated her excited chant while running around the common room like a crazy person.

"CHRISTMAS BREAK STARTS TOMORROW AND THE TRAIN LEAVES IN THE MORNING! YIPPEE!"

Fred and George, who had just walked in (at a slower pace than Ginny, of course), shook their heads and tackled Ginny with pillows from the couches.

"Yeah, and you're gonna be defeated again by the pillow fighting champions!" shouted Fred.

"DREAM on!" she replied, and retaliated once she ran around the room and got a pillow of her own. "You are SO not the champions. That title is mine."

"Bring it, little sister!" George said with a battle cry, and the twins charged Ginny, who picked up a second pillow.

"No fair using two!"

"So is, Fred! I'm up against two people, so I get two pillows!"

The three went at it for about five minutes until the portrait hole opened and Hermione, Harry, Ron,  
Pansy, Draco, and Blaise stepped in. Ron was very disgruntled about Slytherins being in his common room, but Hermione sternly reminded him that Ginny, Aurora, Trinity, and herself have been in the Slytherin common room. Also that Draco was Head Boy, and that he could go into any common room as he pleased.

"_What _is going on here?" Draco asked when the other four were too shocked to say anything. Fred, George, and Ginny froze. Ginny was standing on one of the couches, as she had been running away from Fred, while George froze after he had gone around in front of her. They all had arms raised with pillows clutched in their hands. This made for a very funny scene to anyone who had just walked in.

Ginny glanced at Fred and George, who smirked. She then turned her eyes back to the four standing near the portrait hole and grinned evilly.

"Ginny…" Hermione warned, but it was too late. Draco was smacked in the face by a pillow. Hermione, Ron, and Harry glanced at him, worried, while Pansy tried to stifle her giggles.

He slowly opened his eyes after closing them for when the pillow hit him, and lowered his voice. "You do realize this means war, right Red?"

"EEP! Run for your lives!"

But it was too late. He charged at her and tackled her, tickling the bejeeses out of her. Then Fred and George acted and used their beater skills on the Slytherin. He rolled to the side, away from Ginny and the offending pillows, and grabbed two pillows to throw to Pansy.

"YOU can help!"

"Keep me out of this!" she said, putting her hands in the air as a sign of surrender.

Ron shrugged, then picked one up from the chair next to him and joined in, Harry took the first pillow thrown at Pansy, and Hermione picked up the second. This was what McGonagall walked in on.

"What in heaven's name is going ON in here?" Once again, the pillow fighting stopped, but Ginny, who was in a fit of giggles, fell over, which made the rest of them start laughing again. Minerva cracked a smile and shook her head. She was especially happy because there were Slytherins in her common room, and one of them, the most notorious of all with the worst of the death eaters as his father, was beating on Ginny with pillows while Fred and George tackled him, and was on the same side as the Gryffindors he used to swear his hatred on.

"Don't break anything!" she said, trying to sound stern, but the smile on her face was too prominent for them to take her words seriously. "Now before one of you hits _me_ with a pillow…" With that, she walked through a door that led to her personal chambers.

Draco had to admit that he was having a great deal of fun. Just then, he was smacked with a pillow. When he looked up, he saw his sister with a devilish grin on her face.

"Really? You're challenging _me_?" he asked. The siblings stared each other down for about a minute, trying to determine what the other would do. Then they attacked each other simultaneously. However, from the corner of his right eye, Draco saw Ginny sneaking behind a couch to avoid the rest of the pillow fighters. "Wait, wait. Rora, stop."

She stopped, looking confused, then Draco pointed to the couch he saw Ginny hide behind.

"_Ginny," _he mouthed, and she smirked. He tapped Fred's shoulder and he turned around, then Draco told him the same thing. They tiptoed over to the couch and when Ginny popped her head out to see what was going on, they jumped her.

"AHHHHHHHH! What is this? Mutiny! MUTINY, I say! You're my brother, Fred! You're supposed to be on MY side!"

"Every man for 'imself, Gin," he said with a grin. She cried mutiny again and ran back into the fight, smacking Harry with her pillow on the way.

* * *

-

* * *

"Bye, Rora, Pansy," Draco said. Blaise waved at them. Just then, Molly Weasley walked up to them.

"Draco, Blaise, will you be coming by for Christmas?" Molly asked.

"Oh, well, we appreciate the offer, Mrs. Weasley, but with Lucius gone, my mother will be alone, so I think I should stay with her," Draco said.

"Well, bring her along!"

Draco shared a glance with Blaise. "I wouldn't want to intrude, and wouldn't that be a lot of people in your house?"

"Nonsense. Nothing an enlargement charm won't fix. Invite her for me, will you? Oh don't feel pressured, I just don't want you to be away from your sister and friends for Christmas."

"Alright, thank you."

When he and Blaise left to walk to Narcissa, who was picking them up, Molly turned to Pansy. "Oh Pansy, dear, so good to see you.

"Hello, Mrs. Weasley."

"And you must be Aurora!"

"Yes, how did you know?"

"Well you certainly look like Narcissa, and you are the only girl here with blonde hair. And you are?" she asked the last girl.

"Trinity Hawethorne, ma'am. It is nice to meet you. Thank you very much for having me for Christmas break."

"Oh my, what a charming, polite young lady! It is no problem, my dear."

"You should hear her mouth run when she's angry," Fred said under her breath, but Molly heard him and Trinity glared at him.

"Don't be rude!" His mother smacked his shoulder, then turned to them all. "Come along; we have to shrink your luggage and get you to the ministry cars. Come on, everyone! Let's get out of here."

When they arrived at the burrow, They shuffled into the cozy-looking tall house and the people who hadn't been there before looked around in wonder. It wasn't big, but it wasn't small enough for them to feel uncomfortable.

"You three will be staying in Ginny's room," Molly said, talking to Trinity, Aurora, and Pansy. "When Hermione and Amanda get here, they'll stay in the spare bedroom."

Ginny knew she meant Percy's room, but she refused to say his name anymore. It was too upsetting for her. The arrangement was thus: Fred, George, Ron, and Harry would stay in the twins' room, the girls would be split up in Ginny's and Percy's rooms, which were next to each other, Bill and Charlie would stay in their own rooms, and when Draco and Blaise came to visit, they would stay in Charlie's room and Charlie would sleep in Bill's room. If Narcissa came, she would stay in the guest room.

"Now I have to cook dinner. You lot can find a way to entertain yourselves, but stay out of the kitchen unless you want to help. Shoo, now!"

They went to their rooms first to put their bags away, then to the living room to see how many people they had for a quidditch game.

"Hang on, we're short a few people," Ron pointed out.

"We have…let's see…we have two seekers, myself and Charlie," Harry began, "we can have two chasers on each team – Ginny, Rora, Parkin…Pansy, sorry…and Trinity. Ron's a keeper, and Fred, George, and Bill are beaters. So we're short a beater and a keeper."

"We can call on Draco and Blaise," Aurora suggested. "Blaise is usually a chaser, but his secondary position is beater. Draco is a good keeper, too."

"Yeah, let's do that," Ginny said.

Harry nodded. "Can you send them an owl, Rora?"

"Sure, but I dunno if mum will let them leave after they just came home."

"Invite her, then," came Molly's voice from the kitchen. "She can keep me company, if she wants. It'll also get her out of the house."

"You're so eager to get her over here, mum," Ron said suspiciously. "She's a Malfoy."

"Well Lucius is gone, now!" she said sharply. "And she is a Black. There is no Malfoy blood in her. She is free to do as she wishes," she said, more gently this time.

"I'll ask her, then, Mrs. Weasley. Thank you," called Aurora from a couch. She smiled; apparently, there was more to her mother and Mrs. Weasley than she knew. Had they been friends, once? "Harry, can I borrow Hedwig?"

"Sure." He ran upstairs to get his owl while Aurora wrote a note. When he brought her down, Aurora pet Hedwig's head and gave her a treat, to which the owl hooted affectionately; she had taken a liking to the girl.

"Would you please deliver this letter to Malfoy Manor, Hedwig? To my mother?" Hedwig hooted again and flew out a window that was opened by Trinity. When she came back twenty minutes later, the note was addressed to Aurora and from Narcissa.

_Aurora,_

_We will be arriving soon by floo. Please tell Molly that I appreciate her unending kindness._

_-Mum_

She showed Mrs. Weasley the letter, at which the older woman smiled.

"Oh good. I was hoping she would accept."

Just then, the fireplace was engulfed in green flames and out stepped Narcissa, then Draco and Blaise holding their brooms.

"So, what about Pansy –"

Draco frowned at Ginny. "What are you doing on the floor?"

"The fire scared the crap out of me!" Then she noticed Narcissa, and her eyes widened. "Ah…Mrs. Malfoy…please excuse my language."

This seemed to distract Blaise for a little while, who had been trying to get the group's attention. In Aurora's letter, she said Pansy would be a chaser and that didn't sit well with him. He was soon brought back. "Guys…"

Narcissa smiled warmly at Ginny's apology. "There is no need for that. I do not mind; forgive me for alarming you."

"Guys…"

"Oh, it's fine…" Ginny answered.

"Wait…about the game…"

"Cissa!"

"Molly!" The two women hugged like they were best friends who hadn't seen each other in a very long time. "It's so good to finally see you again…not at King's Cross, I mean."

"Yes, it is. Well? What are you waiting for?" she asked the large group in the living room, most of which were gaping at the two women. "Don't you have a quidditch game to play?"

They got her meaning, and gave the women their space. They went outside and began their game.

"Can I talk now?" Blaise asked.

"What is it, Blaise?" asked Ginny, who was slightly annoyed that he kept trying to interrupt them, but she knew why and had been trying to not let him speak.

"Pansy can't play." He turned to his girlfriend and looked at her. "And you know you can't, so you shouldn't have accepted the chaser position."

"What? Why?" Harry asked. "We'll be short one more person if she doesn't."

"Um, we'll tell you later, Harry," Ginny said. He got the hint and dropped the subject, but Pansy chimed in.

"I can play keeper, as long as the beaters keep bludgers away from me and no one smacks into me. Chaser is too dangerous for my…condition right now, I guess. Blaise is right. But I can play keeper."

"Pansy…"

"I'll be fine, Blaise. This isn't school, so we can switch positions easily without having to know them well. It's just for fun, this game. Let me have my fun before I can't, anymore."

"But…"

But Pansy had already flown into the air to the makeshift goal posts, taking her position there. Fred and George glanced at each other, then at Trinity to gauge her reaction but she did not look at them, and they knew that was on purpose.

"I'll be the second chaser," Draco said, and he flew into the air.

The teams were, as written on the scoreboard by Fred and George:

Team Charlie

Seeker: Charlie

Beaters: Bill and Blaise

Chasers: Ginny and Draco

Keeper: Pansy

Team Harry

Seeker: Harry

Beaters: Fred and George

Chasers: Aurora and Trinity

Keeper: Ron

The teams were named for their seekers. Fred and George wanted to charm the scoreboard to keep score for them, but they were glared at by every other player.

"What?" they asked simultaneously.

"We remember what you did last time. We're not stupid," Ron said.

"What did they do?" Blaise asked.

"They charmed the scoreboard to only give points to themselves. The scoreboard read 'Fred' and 'George,'" Ginny explained.

They smiled at everyone sheepishly. "Can you blame us?" George asked.

Bill charmed the scoreboard, and they flew into the air while Ginny ran inside to ask her mother if she could release the quidditch balls, to which she agreed. Then, the game was underway.

"Looks like we're on the same team for once," Ginny said as she flew up to hover next to Draco.

He smirked. "I liked it better when, dare I say it, you caught the snitch and gave me a little surprise later that night."

She wiggled her eyebrows at him and rushed to catch the quaffle. Team Charlie made the first goal and won themselves ten points.

* * *

-

* * *

"How are you, now?"

"I am…well, I don't know what I am, really. Relieved, and…dare I say it, happy."

Molly smiled. "I know it is hard to suddenly lose the breadwinner of your family, but I am glad to not see bruises on your face, Cissa."

Narcissa frowned. "He was so wonderful in the beginning…"

"All wife beaters are."

"But after I married him, he changed. After he was taken to the dark side, he was the worst…he beat me when he found out I was pregnant with Aurora."

Molly gasped and her hands flew to her face. Then, said face became as red as a tomato. "I WOULD HAVE KILLED THE BASTARD! I WISH YOU TOLD ME ABOUT THAT! DISGUSTING PIECE OF –"

"Molly!"

"Sorry…"

Narcissa smiled gently. "You're still the same spitfire I knew in school." Molly smiled sheepishly. "I hear Ginevra has taken after you."

"I know. I saw it from when she was little and I've tried to reel it in."

"You know better than I how hard it is to keep in check something that is as much a part of someone as it is a part of you. You should just let her be herself, Molly. She is a sweet girl."

"Even though she swore in front of you? That temper and language won't get her anywhere."

"She said crap, Molly. That is hardly a swear. It was much less than what I heard from you in school."

"Hmph."

"Let her be free. If you continue to try to constrain her, she will eventually break free, and your bond with her will never be the same."

Molly sighed. "I know…I know. My family disowned me and I had nowhere to go. I was the odd one out, I was the rebellious one, and I remember hating that my parents kept me in a cage. Figuratively, of course," she said when Narcissa looked surprised. "But Ginny isn't the odd one out, she isn't rebellious."

"But she has a free spirit, like you."

"I suppose…it isn't just how she acts, though. She wears those ugly chains on her pants, tight shirts, paints her fingernails black sometimes…sometimes dark purple…and she wears eyeliner. She's beautiful without it. I don't understand why she is doing this. She is acting like a rebellious child when she has nothing to rebel against!"

"What did she wear before this started?"

"Clothing that was much more conservative!"

"And who bought it?"

"I did, of course."

"Did she choose them or did you?"

"What?"

"Were those clothes her choice or yours?"

"I…well, she chose them, obviously. She wouldn't wear them if she didn't."

"But did she want a different style of clothing than what you wanted her to wear?"

"I…Narcissa! What are you playing at?"

"I'm saying that she might have always wanted to wear something different than what you made her choose from. That is why she is being rebellious now. She'll grow out of this stage, but when she is satisfied. The black nails will disappear, and perhaps the eyeliner will become thinner. Let her be herself, Molly, or this stage will never end."

"How do you know this? How are you so wise?"

Narcissa's expression turned to a sad one.

"Bella was…not like she is now when we were children. She had a free spirit, too, like you and I, but hers was much more powerful and our mother – stricter. Andromeda was disowned for marrying who she loved, not who our mother had picked out for her. He may be a muggle…but that doesn't matter. She is happy, and Nymphadora is a wonderful young woman. Anyway, our mother was _so_ strict, that she kept Bella tied up – figuratively, of course – and would not let her do what she wanted to do. So, when she was finally old enough, she did the ultimately rebellious thing and joined the dark lord. She was welcomed, treated like she fit in, so she stayed and fell in love with it. I'm not saying that Ginevra would ever do something so serious and hateful, but she might keep up her current ways."

"I suppose you're right…"

"Come. Let us bring our tea outside and watch the rest of the game."

"Alright."

When they walked outside after putting on their coats, the game was in full force and the score was TEAM CHARLIE: 150 to TEAM HARRY: 130, but just as they stepped out the door, Aurora scored on Pansy through the middle hoop, giving them ten more points. Just then, Charlie saw the snitch and dove for it with Harry hot on his heels.

The game ended with Charlie catching it, but it was a very close call. Harry's hand closed around Charlie's less than a second after Charlie caught the snitch. Charlie whooped, and they all flew to the ground.

"Sorry, Harry," Charlie said, clapping the boy on the back.

"I guess that skill you had in school never left, huh, Charlie?" asked Bill, who was a beater on the Gryffindor team when Charlie was seeker. Charlie shrugged; he was a modest man.

"Harry is much younger than I. He certainly gave me a run for my money. Right, Harry?" He gently shoved the younger boy, who blushed a little.

"You're much better than me."

"Oh _do_ stop being so modest, Potter," said Draco as he rolled his eyes and walked toward the house.

"So you admit that I am one of the best seekers out there, eh?"

Draco looked over his shoulder. "I admit nothing. Next time you have a quidditch game here, send an owl. I'm seeker. Against you."

"You're on, Malfoy."

Narcissa and Molly shared a look and smiled at each other. It seemed that Draco and Harry had finally ended their malicious feud.

* * *

-

* * *

**Thank you for reading! The next chapter will be coming soon. I know how good Harry is supposed to be as a seeker, but Charlie was legendary in his days in school and he is older than Harry, and more experienced.**


	30. Breaking the News

Chapter 29 – Breaking the News

Disclaimer: I own nothing that isn't mine.

Thank you for your reviews! I hope you enjoy!

* * *

You are

The only one that needs to know

I'll keep you my dirty little secret

(dirty little secret)

* * *

"Molly, that was a wonderful dinner. Thank you."

"Oh it's my pleasure, Cissa. Will you come for Christmas dinner?"

"I…don't want to intrude…"

"Oh nonsense, you never intrude. I am inviting you. It would be nice to have a fun Christmas not in the manor for once, wouldn't it?"

Molly smiled at Narcissa's dreamy expression as she thought about a Christmas without Lucius and a cold, dark manor she was not allowed to decorate.

"Draco, Blaise, would you like to have Christmas here?" she asked them. They were seated near her and heard the conversation she was having with Mrs. Weasley. They glanced at Mrs. Weasley, who smiled, Mr. Weasley, who nodded, and back at Narcissa.

"If it's alright," Draco said.

Mr. Weasley smiled and Mrs. Weasley clapped her hands. "Splendid!" she said.

"What time should we arrive?" Narcissa asked.

"If you are not busy, why not spend the night on Christmas eve?" Arthur asked.

"Oh now that would be too much, I believe."

"Narcissa, you need to get out more, and we miss having you with us like you were in Hogwarts," he said. "Please stay the night, unless you have something to do."

"I will think about it, Arthur. I greatly appreciate your and Molly's kindness."

After Narcissa, Draco, and Blaise left that night, things went back to normal for everyone and chores were passed around. Even those who were not the children of Molly and Arthur were given chores, and they took them happily in exchange for staying at the burrow over break. Pansy, however, was given lighter things to do, as helping Molly around the house instead of de-gnoming the garden or shoveling the walkway after it snowed heavily on Wednesday. Christmas was on Sunday next week, and on that Saturday, Pansy would be eight weeks pregnant. Everyone took turns doing chores and helping Molly with the decorations.

* * *

-

* * *

It was Saturday, December 17. Pansy was now seven weeks pregnant, not showing, and had no morning sickness, yet. However, this did not shield her from stress and random bouts of crying mainly due to this being the first Christmas she would have without her father. She also had to use the bathroom more frequently, but that was something she would gladly take over morning sickness. Which was supposed to be happening, but she wasn't complaining.

After everyone had woken and finished breakfast, Molly shooed them to their duties. She was washing the dishes when she realized that she had not seen Pansy yet. She allowed the girl to sleep in a little later than the others because of her condition, but she never took advantage of that opportunity so Molly was a little worried. She charmed the dishes to clean themselves, pulled the leftovers from the fridge, and went upstairs to Ginny's room. She was about to knock on the door when she heard muffled sobs coming from inside the room. Her heart clenched, and then she knocked.

"Pansy? Dear? Are you alright?" When she didn't hear an answer, she opened the door and saw three beds made; the fourth still had a body in it and under the covers. "Pansy?"

The girl sat up after rubbing her eyes in a futile attempt to get Mrs. Weasley to not notice that she had been crying.

"I'm sorry. I know I should have been downstairs already. I didn't realize how late it was."

"It's alright, Pansy. You need rest more than any of them. Are you okay?" she asked again. "Why were you crying?"

Try as she might, Pansy could not stop more tears from falling. Mrs. Weasley shut the door with her wand and hurried over to Pansy's bed. She sat on it and wiped the girl's face with the blanket.

"Now now, there's no need to cry anymore. Tell me why you're so upset. Maybe I can make you feel a little better. If not, well…I can't say I didn't try." When Pansy cracked a smile, Mrs. Weasley's heart swelled. She loved making people feel better, even if it was only for a moment.

"I'm sorry to cause you trouble."

"You aren't causing me _any_ trouble at all."

"…I was just…thinking about my father. This will be the…my first Christmas without him."

"Of course it won't, child."

Pansy looked up at the older woman in surprise. "It won't? What do you mean?"

"He is always with you. Just because his body isn't alive does not mean that he isn't still alive in spirit. Do you ever feel a presence sometimes? An odd sensation around you that makes you turn your head and wonder?" Pansy nodded. "That is your father."

"How do you know?"

"Because my brother passed away when I was younger. When Bill was a year old. He was the only person from my family – the Prewitt family – that I actually loved, and he loved me. Loves," she corrected. "Sometimes, when I'm alone, I get an odd feeling that makes me turn my head but all I see is an empty room. But I know it's him."

Pansy started to cry again. "Th-then he _knows_ how irresponsible I a-am. What a…whore I must be!"

Mrs. Weasley reeled back in shock. "Pansy! Why on earth would you think that of yourself?"

"When word gets out, I know what the whispers will be. Tramp, whore, slut. She only did it to get in Blaise's bed – Draco's, if the whispers are coming from the Slytherins. My father must think so low of me right now. Who wouldn't?"

"Ginny doesn't." Pansy looked down at her hands. "And neither do I. Nor do your friends – the ones who know, at least. Your true friends will never judge you harshly, never look down on you, and will always be there to help you. I'm sure your father is proud of you for acting so maturely in such a serious situation. I would be, were I your mother."

"I'd much, _much_ rather you be my mother than the troll who lives in my house," Pansy hissed nastily. Then she composed herself. "…Sorry, Mrs. Weasley. I didn't mean to be disrespectful of my…mother."

Mrs. Weasley beamed when Pansy said what she said. "In your case…say whatever you want about her."

Pansy chuckled. "Thanks, Mrs. Weasley. Sorry; I don't think I can get used to calling you Molly. I was raised to never call people older than me but their first names."

"Well that's polite. I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable, so call me what you want depending on your comfort level. Alright? Well then, how far along are you?"

"Seven weeks today."

"Oh my…I had such awful morning sickness at that time, with every child. Well…it was much better with Fred and George, but boy did they make that up by giving me one hell of a labor period. Anyway, how are you feeling? I have a wonderful tea that helps with queasiness."

"I feel fine, actually, but thank you."

"Wonderful. If you feel nauseous at all, come straight to me and I'll make you that tea. I wouldn't want anyone to go through what I went through…" Molly shuddered. "Would you like some breakfast? I saved some for you."

"I would love some, thank you."

Mrs. Weasley beamed and stood. "I'll be downstairs. Come when you get dressed, unless you'd like to shower."

"I will be down in a few minutes."

When Pansy threw on a pair of jeans, a tank top, and a Slytherin quidditch sweater – a dark green sweater with a thick horizontal line of silver on both arms and around her chest and back – she walked downstairs. She kept her hair down today, as opposed to her usual low ponytail that she tied either mid-head or at her neck, so her hair fell to her waist.

"Oh! There you are," said Molly. "Arthur just stepped out to help shovel again. That snow…we _just_ did the walkway three days ago! Anyway, how are you feeling, now? Is the smell of food bothering you?"

Pansy shook her head but at the next breath, she grabbed the table and swayed a bit.

"Oh dear, I'd better put that tea on, then. Sit, and I'll give it to you in a bit. I still have some from when I was pregnant with Ginny. It never goes bad. Now where is it…ah, here."

As Molly went about making the tea, Pansy sat down on a chair and tried not to lose whatever was left from her dinner last night. She did not feel violently ill, as Molly had been describing morning sickness, but she did feel a bit nauseous. Once she drank the tea, though, she instantly felt better.

"Thank you."

"Oh you're welcome, dear. You might want to drink a cup of that every morning for the next two weeks, possibly four. Here is your breakfast; I have to go to the store to get a few things. Will you be alright?" Pansy nodded. "You can take it easy for the morning. Draco and Blaise came by a little earlier to help out while Narcissa did some shopping."

"No, that wouldn't be fair to everyone else. I want to help."

"Well…you can help me put the groceries away when I get back. How does that sound?"

Pansy nodded weakly, and Molly apparated. She sat alone in the kitchen, picking at her food. She found it hard to eat, even though she no longer felt sick to her stomach. She had eaten about half of the food on her plate when Blaise walked in.

"Pansy! I thought you'd never get up. How are you?"

"I'm fine," she said softly. He gave her a worried look, but she smiled. "I've just been getting tired easily lately."

"How are you feeling? Any nausea at all?"

Pansy looked at him funny. "How do you know that this is supposed to be the time for morning sickness? I felt a bit odd earlier, to be honest, but Mrs. Weasley gave me a special tea, which helped."

"Hey, I may be a man, but I've done my research. Besides, morning sickness isn't uncommon, and everyone knows what it is."

"Morning sickness?" came a voice. They turned and saw a shocked Harry in the doorway that led to the living room. He had apparently come inside from the back entrance. Pansy looked at Blaise uneasily.

"You're going to have to tell them today, I believe," Blaise said.

"That's why you couldn't play quidditch?" Harry asked. "Well, a dangerous position?"

"Yeah…look, I was going to tell you all soon, but…it's been hard to think of how."

"It's fine…wow. I would never have guessed. How long?"

"Seven weeks."

"Oh…Halloween, then?"

"Yes…"

"Potter, she's obviously uncomfortable talking about it," Blaise said protectively.

"Harry."

"Huh?" both Blaise and Harry said.

"Harry, not Potter," Pansy said again.

"Oh…right, well…old habits die hard," Blaise explained.

"I just came in to tell you that we were going to have an informal D.A. meeting tonight. Maybe you can tell the others then."

"Yeah…"

"Why are you looking at the table?" Harry asked.

"Look, you're not pregnant, alright? You have nothing to be ashamed of."

"Ashamed?" Blaise asked, hurt.

"Oh Blaise, I didn't mean it like that. You know I'm not ashamed…that's the wrong word. It's just…embarrassing at my age. I'm not even considered an adult because I'm not seventeen." His face softened and he smiled. "It's just hard for me to tell people because they'll judge me, and it's worrisome."

"I'm not judging you, Pansy," said Harry.

She looked up at him gratefully. "Well, that's one out of the way."

"So I'm guessing it's Zabini's? Ah…Blaise's," Harry forced. He was really trying to call them by their names, except Draco, but that would always be.

"Yes," Blaise answered. "We need to talk about that, but we'll give the details tonight. We are going to act as we normally do to everyone but the Slytherins. To them, it will be an act. We will make them think that Pansy and I are acting to everyone else to gain trust from you and your friends so we can become spies for Voldemort. To the Slytherins, Pansy is really dating Draco, and the baby is actually his, even though it isn't. I was hoping that you would somehow get most of the Order over here at some point so Draco, Pansy, and I could teach them some of the darker, more painful spells, hexes, and curses that we shouldn't teach you lot."

Harry nodded. "Alright. Your plan sounds complicated, but it sounds like it'll work. Save it for the meeting tonight. As for your secret – I won't tell anyone. Who knows, by the way?"

"It doesn't matter who knows."

"Blaise, don't be rude to him. He's just curious. Ginny, Aurora, Draco, Theo, Zack, Trinity, Amanda, Hermione, uh…I think that's it."

"I wasn't being rude…" Blaise said as he pouted.

Pansy patted his cheek. "Of course not." She turned back to Potter – _Harry_. "What are the girls doing right now? Mrs. Weasley told me to stay put…but I can't just sit here and wait for her to get back from grocery shopping. I'm too ansy. Give me something to do."

"Uh, well, Ginny and Aurora are weeding the garden while the gnomes are gone. Apparently, the snow doesn't stop those weeds…I'm not really sure what chores you can do…I know nothing about pregnancy."

"You _better_ know nothing about pregnancy," came a deeper voice from behind Harry. Draco glared at him pointedly as he walked past him into the kitchen.

"Until you and Aurora are properly married!" Blaise said forcefully, pointing at him. Harry's eyes widened and he held up his hands.

Draco swirled around on the spot with a traumatized look on his face. "Whoa whoa whoa, marriage? She's sixteen!"

"Hey, don't worry about that. And…don't you think it's a bit early to be talking about marriage?" Harry asked, swallowing hard.

"Good man," was all Blaise said.

Pansy rolled her eyes and winked at Harry. "He's in our year, Blaise, darling. What do you _think_ couples do when you don't see them around? Just be careful, Potter. Harry."

"PANSY!" both Draco and Blaise shouted.

"What?"

"Don't encourage that with them!" Draco yelled.

"Oh please. How do you think this happened?" she asked, pointing to her belly.

"EXACTLY our point!" Blaise said.

She rolled her eyes. "So you're going to stop, then? We won't do anything anymore?" she tested.

"Well, you're already knocked up, so there's nothing to worry about," he grinned with mischief in his eyes.

"OKAY I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR SEX LIFE!" Harry nearly shouted. Pansy broke into a fit of giggles at the expression on his face – his eyes were as wide as dinner plates and he looked like he had just been thoroughly scandalized – which wasn't too far off from the truth.

"Well I'm glad to know that Potter gets uncomfortable when we talk about sex," Blaise said. "Harry…I mean."

"He BETTER be uncomfortable with it!" Draco said, still scandalized.

"Blaise, Draco, stop. Leave them alone and stop being hypocritical. So, about that weeding?"

* * *

-

* * *

"Merlin," Fred and George said.

"So that's why you haven't been playing quidditch," Ron added. "Harry? You knew?"

"I only found out this morning when I overheard Pansy and Blaise talking."

"Who else knew?" Ron's eyes widened in shock at the amount of hands that were raised.

"So what are you going to do?" George asked, and Blaise began the long explanation.

"…And then we're going to tell Voldemort that the baby is Draco's, too. Not just Pansy's mother. Potter, um…_Harry_, are you planning anything for the end of the school year? For Voldemort's attack?"

"Well, it hasn't been enough time to have gotten a plan together, but I've been thinking about it. How does he think he'll get into the school?"

"He is under the impression that I will let him and his death eaters in," Draco said.

"But you're not, right?"

"What do _you_ think, Weasley?"

"Alright, there's no need for an argument," Ginny put in. "Harry wasn't allowed to join the Order last summer, but after he told them about what is going on, and that we know and can help, Dumbledore let him in. He isn't allowed to all of the meetings, but the most important ones. Fred and George go, though. To most of them."

"Can we hold a meeting as soon as we get back to school?" Pansy asked.

"Sure," said Hermione, who had arrived via floo just for the meeting. Amanda did the same, but both of them had to leave after the meeting was over. "That would be a good idea. Classes won't have started, yet, so we will have the liberty of making it any time. Harry, we should make the meetings twice or three times a week because of this supposed attack He's planning."

"I agree. Oh! Have you made up four extra D.A. galleons? For them and Anne?" Harry asked, motioning towards the three Slytherins and the one who wasn't there.

"Yes, thanks for reminding me." Hermione reached into her bag and brought out what looked like real galleons, and handed them to Pansy, Draco, and Blaise. "When there is a meeting, those will become warm and vibrate a little. When you look at them, the warmth and movement will subside and the date and time of the next meeting will be on the coin."

"Thank you," Pansy said. The other two nodded.

"It's not a problem."

"Potter, we want to join the Order," Draco said.

"I remember," answered Harry.

"How do we go about doing that?" Pansy asked.

"Talk to Dumbledore. When will you be seventeen?"

"Pansy in March, myself on December thirtieth, and Blaise on the thirty-first. I don't see why that matters, though, seeing as we were the ones to tell you about that attack. We, like you, should be able to go to meetings before we turn seventeen."

"I'll…talk to Dumbledore about that."

"Thank you, Harry," Pansy said kindly. He smiled at her; he was beginning to really like her. She was becoming something like a sister to him. Very slowly, but it was happening.

"I think that's all," he said. "I can't think of anything else we have to talk about. Will one of you tell Anne about the meeting? It will be on January second."

"Uh…" the three muttered. They glanced at each other, none of them wanting to contact Blaise's ex girlfriend. Hermione seemed to realize this, and turned to Harry.

"Neville seemed to get along with her well at the last D.A. meeting. I'll send him an owl with the information and ask him to send her one. I guess I could do it, but I don't know her very well."

"Alright, it's settled, then. Hermione, Amanda, we'll see you on Christmas morning."

"Bye, Harry. Bye, everyone," they said, and they vanished, Amanda after Hermione.

"Well, now there's the rest of the school to tell…" Pansy said, her voice and expression very downcast.

* * *

-

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed it! The next will come soon.**


	31. Truth or Dare

Chapter 30 – Truth or Dare

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my inventions.

I want to point something out. While this is mainly of the Draco/Ginny pairing, the story is not solely based around them. Yes, they will be focused on more than the other pairings, but they are not the only one. So I apologize if you don't see as much Draco/Ginny as you would like, but this isn't a fluffy romance or a porno. It is a story, with other characters just as important as Draco and Ginny.

I hope you enjoy!

* * *

I'll keep you my dirty little secret

(dirty little secret)

Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret

Just another regret I hope that you can keep it my dirty little secret...Who has to know?

* * *

"Alright, Potter, you're on. Get your broom and make your team," said Draco when he and Blaise arrived at the burrow after Mrs. Weasley invited them and Narcissa over. Narcissa had accepted Molly's offer to stay for the night, as it was Christmas eve. The chores had been done, and they had nothing else to do.

Harry got his broom from the room he shared with Ron, Fred, and George, and the others made their way outside. Pansy had thrown up that morning before she had the chance to have a cup of Molly's tea, and felt tired, bloated, and still a little nauseous. Molly gave her a second cup of tea and she went outside.

"Who are your chasers?" Draco asked Harry.

"I call Ginny. You're obviously going to call Rora…"

"Naturally. And I want Trinity."

"Done. I want Charlie." Harry looked over at the older boy, who smiled and nodded. "And Fred and George."

"I want Blaise, anyway. And Bill."

"Done. Keepers?"

"Pansy."

But the girl shook her head. "I'm going to sit this one out, Draco. I feel like crap, sorry," she said as she sipped her tea.

"Oh, don't worry about it. You rest. Hmm…damnit. You're going to take Weasley and I have no keeper," he said, addressing Harry.

"We could owl Theo," Blaise suggested. "He seemed enthusiastic about coming over when Ginny invited him."

"Good idea." Draco went inside and sent a letter off to Theo after asking Mr. and Mrs. Weasley if a friend could come over just for the game. Theo flooed a few minutes later. "Alright. Let's play."

"I don't have much time, though! So don't take your damn time with the snitch," Theo said. "I have to be home to help my mum cook…"

"You cook?" Draco asked with an odd expression on his face.

"Yeah, what of it? My mum insisted on me helping her since I was little."

"Hey, a man who can cook is definitely a worthy man," Ginny said. Draco glared at her. "What? It's true. Doesn't mean I like him. Sheesh. People might think you're jealous, Malfoy."

"Jealous? Of you? Hah, in your dreams, Red."

Ginny shrugged and shot into the air. "If you lose to Harry, you'll have to follow me around for a day and do whatever I want!"

"And if I win?"

"You won't! Oh fine. I'll…do chores or something. Whatever you want. But you won't win!"

"We'll see."

Both keepers were keeping the quaffle out of their hoops, and the first twenty minutes of the game flew by without a goal. The first one was made by Trinity on Ron, and the scoreboard read DRACO: 10 HARRY: 0 but the score under HARRY soon became 30, and the score under DRACO was 20. Both Draco and Harry had feigned dives for the snitch, but neither had seen it yet.

Goals were scored left and right, and soon the score was DRACO: 130 HARRY: 80. Harry was growing restless. He knew Charlie was a good chaser, but his place was in the seeker position. Harry _had_ to find the snitch soon. And then, he saw it. It was flitting around at the goal hoops guarded by Theodore Nott. He glanced over at Draco and thought that the Slytherin hadn't seen it, but he had; he was just trying to make it look like he hadn't. Their muscles were tense, and it felt like there were little electrical impulses moving through them. They were both wound up like a toy car. Suddenly, Draco shot away from Harry towards the goal posts and Harry shot after him, surprised because he did not realize that the other boy had seen the snitch.

Theo dove out of the way as the two seekers came flying at him, allowing Charlie to score just after Draco and Harry flew through the middle hoop. The snitch suddenly dropped, then went the opposite way the boys were flying so they were forced to fly upside-down for a couple of seconds before they righted themselves. They were so close, now, so they both reached out to grab it.

Draco fell away and slowed his broom when Harry's hand closed around the golden ball.

"I call a rematch!"

"You lost, Malfoy. Fair and square," said Ginny who landed near him. "And I believe you owe me a day of being my slave."

"Two out of three, Potter," said Draco as he walked up to him.

"Alright. Two out of three," agreed the Gryffindor. "Tomorrow."

"I'm sorry, Harry. I guess my chaser skills don't match up to my seeker ones."

"It's alright, Charlie, we still won!"

"Because of you," the older boy shot back.

* * *

-

* * *

"So, we're all here except Hermione and Amanda. What should we do? We could play quidditch again, but Pansy can't play unless she's keeper, and we already played once today," Trinity said after dinner.

They were in the den, and the fire was going. Theodore had gone home after the game to help his mother and Molly was just finishing washing the dishes with Pansy's help, but then she would go up to bed early because they were going to wake up early tomorrow to help her get the house ready for Christmas dinner later that day.

"I know! Let's play a game," Ginny suggested.

"A game?" Fred asked.

"What kind of game?" asked George with a twinkle of mischief in his eyes.

"I dunno. I just want to play a game."

"How about truth or dare?"

"Rora, that's a little kid's game," Draco said.

"Or for pre-teens who want to kiss their crushes," added Pansy.

"Oh contraire!" Fred said.

"Truth or dare can be a wonderful and exciting game if you know what dares to give," said George.

"Or what questions to ask, for those who don't choose dare," Harry mumbled.

"Afraid of a little dare, Potter?"

"Coming from them, yes," he said, pointing to the twins who pulled innocent expressions.

"We don't know what you're talking about," they said.

"Oh don't pull that. I've been in a couple of truth or dare games with you, and have heard of others," Ginny said. "You two are merciless."

"Well, I'm in, I guess," Pansy said. "There's nothing better to do and I don't want to go to bed yet."

"Alright, I'll start," said Trinity. "But I want to make a rule. If you choose truth, you can refuse the question. If you choose to answer it, though, you can't lie."

"How are we going to make sure people don't lie?" Harry asked.

"People, people, you are asking a question with a very simple answer! Gred? Shall we explain?"

"Yes, I do believe so, Forge. My dears, you are asking this question with us in the room! Surely you don't think we have no answer?" But he didn't wait for them to speak. "We know of a spell –"

"– That we invented, ourselves," George put in.

"It ensures that nobody lies! You just cast the spell and if the person lies, a nasty red aura surrounds them for all to see." They cast the spell on everyone in the room just as Mrs. Weasley said goodnight to them all.

"Okay, ummm…Pansy. Truth or dare?"

"I guess truth."

"What is the gender of your baby?"

"Uh…I'd rather not say. I haven't told Blaise yet…"

"You _know_?"

"Yes…"

"Why haven't you told me?"

"I didn't know if you wanted to know or not."

"Oh…well, I do."

"Think about it for a while, Blaise. I don't want to tell you and have you regret your decision."

"I have thought about it. I just didn't know you could find out this early. Please tell me?"

"Can I tell you later?" she asked, and he relented. He knew she hated being put on the spot.

"Sure."

"Alright. Then…have you two picked out names, yet?" Trinity asked.

"No, we haven't," said Pansy. "So is it my turn, now?" Trinity nodded. "Harry."

"Oh, ah, truth."

Pansy looked disappointed, but thought of a question. "What would you use the room of requirement for most?"

"The D.A."

"Aw you were supposed to say something juicy."

Draco glared at her."What are you trying to do, kill me? Don't make him say anything like _that_ having to do with my sister!"

"Oh calm down, Draco. They're smart; they won't get drunk and knocked up."

"THEY BETTER NOT!"

"Anyway, Harry, it's your turn," Pansy said after seeing poor Aurora's red face.

"Uh…" He tried to think of who to ask while trying to force away the redness on his cheeks. "Ron."

"Truth."

"Chickening out?" Fred asked.

"I am not."

"What would you say to Snape if you knew you wouldn't get in trouble?"

Ron looked gleeful.

"You're a sneaky, greasy bastard who is unfair to students who aren't in Slytherin and you're a slimy git!"

Harry snickered.

"RON!"

"What?"

"Severus is NOT like that at all!"

"Aurora, you're a Malfoy. Of course he's not going to be nasty to you."

"No, he's not really like that! He has to favor the Slytherins because he's a spy for Voldemort. If he didn't favor them and was fair to every student, Voldemort would get suspicious so don't judge him based on just what you see."

"Alright! New question!" Ginny said.

"Trinity," Ron said.

"I pick truth."

"Uh…I'm not very good at these questions…what would you turn McGonagall into if you could?"

"I like McGonagall, so that's not a good question."

"Who do you not like?"

"No one, really. Slughorn, I guess. Yeah, Slughorn. Um, I'd turn him into a toad. That would suit him." Everyone sniggered. "Ginny, truth or dare," Trinity asked. Ginny smirked.

"Dare."

"Dare, Red? How brave of you."

Ginny rolled her eyes at him, and it was Trinity's turn to smirk. "I dare you to passionately kiss Draco in front of everyone here."

A few people gasped, mainly the Gryffindors, and Ron had a scandalous expression on his face. Ginny and Draco shared a glance. She shrugged and stood, then walked over to where Draco was sitting by the fireplace. She leaned towards him, placed her hand on his neck, and captured his mouth with hers, earning a loud protest from Ron. The twins' eyes were wide, as well, as they were not expecting her to accept.

Draco responded, and kissed her back, placing his own hand half on her cheek and half on her neck, his fingers lacing through her hair. Both of them felt an incredible rush of doing this in front of people, and they had no clue that Draco and Ginny did more than this on many occasions. They finally broke apart, and Ginny made her way back to her seat, smirking all the while.

"Ginny! How could you?"

"Oh Ronald, stop being such a baby," she answered. "It's just a kiss."

"With Malfoy!"

"Grow up, will you?"

Ron didn't know what to say to that, so he turned on Draco. "Why did you kiss her back?"

He shrugged. "Why give up the chance to kiss a beautiful woman?" He rested his arms on the back of his chair and crossed his legs, giving the impression of him being suave but he really did it to hide his erection. Ginny blushed, and thanked Merlin that the only lighting in the room was provided by the fire. Ron sputtered and said nothing else.

"She's a Weasley, Malfoy," Harry said carefully but warningly.

"And? She's damn sexy. I'm sure you've noticed, Potter."

"That's disgusting, Malfoy. I see her as a sister."

"Alright! Moving on!" Aurora said. "So Ginny, it's your turn."

"Hmm…Fred."

"You know me, Gin. Dare of course!" Ginny laughed.

"I dare you to put bobotuber pus in the third floor hallway outside of Filch's office on the first morning of classes when we get back." The twins laughed.

"Forge, you with me?"

"Of course, Gred. I couldn't miss out on something so rich and…absolutely wicked." Ginny grinned, and most of the others rolled their eyes, reminding themselves to steer clear of that particular hallway.

* * *

-

* * *

Ginny met Draco in the kitchen after they had all gone upstairs after the game and fallen asleep. She had cast a silence spell on her feet and, after making sure the girls were asleep, went down to the kitchen. Draco had apparently done the same.

"You little minx, stealing Potter's invisibility cloak like that. You should be ashamed."

She smirked. "What can I say? We need to be careful."

They then walked outside, being as silent as air, and went to the brook shed. Draco conjured up a mattress on the floor while Ginny cast a silence barrier around the shed and a warming charm.

Draco's hands roamed her unclothed body not two minutes later.

"That was so thrilling," Ginny said, talking about the game they had played.

"Mmm…yes, it was."

"Maybe we should play truth or dare more often."

Draco looked up at her with a twinkle in his eyes, and smirked. "I like the way you think, Ginny Weasley."

She grinned, and sat up, capturing his mouth in a searing kiss. "Especially because of what I get afterwards." It was his turn to grin, as he cast the usual contraceptive charm on her.

"You get this because of how lustful we both felt doing that in front of everyone. Also because I haven't had you in almost a week." She smirked and slipped onto him, gasping in pleasure, and they both started moving together. "You owe me a day of being my slave."

"And when will that be, _darling_?"

"Whenever I want it, _dear_."

"I think I'm going to like being your slave."

Ginny smirked. She sat up and pushed with her legs on the mattress. Draco threw his head back and gripped her thighs. "Of course you will." She leaned forward and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around her back and flipped her over. When he started to move on top of her, she arched her back.

"Do you think Trinity knows?"

"I don't know…she's very smart, and never misses anything, but I don't think she's one hundred percent sure about this. I think she has a clue, and is suspicious, but…oh if you keep doing that, I won't be able to talk," she said after he pushed against her to go deeper.

After they both finished, Draco held her to him with her back facing him.

"I love this," she said.

"What?"

"Lying like this after we have sex."

"It's not just sex, Gin."

Her heart began to beat a little faster. "What do you mean?"

"You know I care about you. Don't you remember our talk the morning after Halloween? When I said I don't know where this is going, but I don't want it to stop?"

"Of course I remember. I was just saying I love this part."

He lightly squeezed her. "I meant that. I'm just…scared of a real relationship."

"Why are you admitting this to me?"

"Because I want you to know. I don't think I love you, Ginny…I barely know what that word means...but that doesn't mean I never will."

She turned to him and gave him a sweet kiss, then they negated the spells they had cast around the shed, as well as the one that conjured the mattress, and left under the invisibility cloak.

* * *

-

* * *

I hope you enjoyed that chapter!


	32. A Christmas Without Lucius

Chapter 31 – A Christmas Without Lucius

Disclaimer: I do not own anything that isn't mine. My made up characters and plot.

Thank you for your reviews! I truly enjoy them.

* * *

-

* * *

I hope that you can keep it, my dirty little secret

Who has to know?

When we live such fragile lives

It's the best way we survive

* * *

-

* * *

"IT'S CHRISTMAS! IT'S CHRISTMAS! IT'S CHRISTMAS!"

Many people in the house groaned and rolled over in their beds. Two of these people were rudely shaken, along with the other two in the room.

"Come on! Fred! George! Ron, Harry, get up! It's Christmas!"

"Go 'o bed, Shinny," mumbled Ron. "'s too early…"

Ginny glared at him and placed her hands on her hips in a very Mollyesque way, the twins always said.

"My name is not Shinny. Fred, George, come on. We have mischief to plan."

"Mischief, Forge?"

"I think she said mischief, Gred."

"I agree, Forge. However…bed comes before mischief!" And they promptly threw the covers over their heads.

"And no mischief at six in the bloody morning!" came George's muffled voice. Ginny 'hmphed' and stalked out. Aurora was already awake and in the shower; Ginny had been the first to take one, then woke Aurora.

* * *

-

* * *

Draco woke with a yawn. He stretched, then, without waking Blaise, got out of bed. He grabbed his toothbrush and toothpaste and headed down the stairs and down the second floor hall – Charlie and Bill's bedrooms were on the third floor – to wait outside the closed door of the bathroom; someone was already in there. He heard the shower, but wasn't sure as to how the bathroom was used by the family. For instance, if there was a room for brushing teeth and a room for showering and the toilet. So, he waited.

* * *

-

* * *

Harry groaned as he set foot on the cold floor. He so wanted to cast a warming charm on his feet, but wasn't seventeen, yet, so he put on socks. When he walked out and into the hall, he stopped short when he saw someone. The blonde hair gave away that it was Malfoy, but what shocked Harry were the scars on the boy's back. When Ron joined him in the hallway, yawning, Draco had already turned to lean his back on the wall; his scars no longer visible. However, the long, jagged one down his right side was, now.

"Merlin, Malfoy, how'd you get that?" Harry couldn't help but ask. Draco turned his head sharply to the right and saw Potter and Weasley staring at him. Harry saw an almost vulnerable look in Malfoy's eyes, but then it vanished and was replaced with a sneer upon the older boy's face.

"Looking at my scars, Potter? Don't get enough of yours?"

"Ah…no, I wasn't," but Harry's lack of asking why Draco had said scars instead of scar was enough to let him know that Harry had seen his back. He turned to face the other two, but just then, Charlie came down the third floor staircase, which was now behind Draco.

"Yo," he said to them, then went down the next staircase.

Draco quickly pressed his back against the wall and his face flushed. Harry walked to the room he shared with Ron and the twins, and brought back one of his looser shirts, as Malfoy was a bit bigger than he was. He threw it to the blonde, who caught it.

"Here. Mrs. Weasley might not like that you're walking around without a shirt on with girls in the house."

"Thank you…" Draco said, but Harry knew it wasn't just for the shirt. Draco pulled the shirt on. When the bathroom door opened, after Charlie had gone downstairs to the kitchen, Aurora came out and looked at them curiously.

"What is this? A congregation in the hallway?"

"Well, you _were_ taking a long shower," said her brother. She rolled her eyes.

"You're going to have to get used to sharing a shower while you're here, brother dear. We don't exactly have our own" With that, and a pat to his shoulder, she walked down the hall. Later that day, she would move upstairs when Hermione and Amanda arrived but for now, her room was just down the hall.

* * *

-

* * *

About an hour later, Harry was getting dressed. Fred, George, and Ron were already downstairs, but since Harry took a shower after the people who usually took morning showers, he was late to breakfast. Suddenly, there was a light tapping on the window and Harry went to open it, letting in a beautiful eagle owl; since Draco was staying for the next two nights, as Mrs. Weasley had insisted they do, he brought his owl. It landed on a bedpost and stuck out its leg, which held a note and Harry's shirt. It hooted when Harry gave it a treat and stroked its head.

"Thank you," he said, and the bird ruffled its feathers in pride. The gigantic owl flew out the window; apparently, Malfoy had not wanted an answer. Harry opened it and his eyes widened slightly.

_Thank you for your discretion._

Harry kept the note in his pocket to burn later, for he was sure that Malfoy wouldn't want anyone to read it. Also, Harry developed a sick feeling of the thought of having to explain what he saw if someone got hold of that note. He was definitely starting to see Malfoy in a different way. He was no longer the evil bastard Harry knew from the first five years of Hogwarts. It seems that Malfoy had grown up, and the scars on the boy's back shook Harry to his core. Those were not any regular, accidental cuts. They looked like they came from a whip, and the jagged one on Malfoy's side looked extremely nasty. It must have been painful, Harry thought.

"Harry! How are you this morning? Merry Christmas!" Mrs. Weasley asked when he came downstairs.

"I'm fine, Mrs. Weasley, thank you. And Merry Christmas to you, too!" In fact, Harry was not fine. Something about the scars on Malfoy's back was really bothering him. "I apologize for being late; I was the last to shower."

"Oh pish tosh. No worries, there. Now sit down and have a spot of breakfast."

"More like a cauldron full," muttered George. Molly waved a wooden spoon at him menacingly, which made the others in the room chuckle, then went back to her morning routine. When Draco came downstairs with Blaise, she smiled again.

"Good morning, you two. And Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas, Mrs. Weasley," they both said. She put two heaping plates of food on the table for them next to Harry and bustled into the living room.

"Did I hear GW running around at six in the morning shouting her head off about it being Christmas?" Blaise asked.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," Fred answered.

"I heard that!" came Ginny's disembodied voice. She was apparently in the living room helping her mother.

"Hey Red, I thought you didn't do that anymore."

"Shove one up yours, Malfoy."

"GINEVRA WEASLEY!"

"Sorry mum…"

The three boys at the table snickered and could imagine the look on Mrs. Weasley's face.

"Oh, hi, Pansy," Draco said when Pansy walked into the room. "Merry Christmas."

"Yeah, a Merry bloody Christmas to you, too."

"Pansy Parkinson!" came Mrs. Weasley's voice from the doorway. They turned their heads and looked at her, Pansy's eyes wide.

"Ah…sorry, Mrs. Weasley. I, ah…got sick this morning…so you can imagine that I'm not in a very good…Christmas mood. I didn't know you were close by…please excuse my language."

"Oh, well, it's fine. Are you alright?"

"Oh! So her language gets excused just because she's pregnant??"

"Hush, Ginevra!"

They heard a light chuckle and recognized it as Narcissa. Pansy had told her yesterday about her situation, and Narcissa had been just as supportive as Mrs. Weasley.

"Don't worry, Ginevra. When you get married one day and become pregnant, you can curse all you want."

"NARCISSA! Don't encourage that!"

"What? Swearing, or getting pregnant?"

"BOTH!"

"You don't want her to get married someday?" said the blonde woman, who appeared in the doorway with a red-faced Ginny.

"I…but…"

Narcissa chuckled again.

"Well?"

"Oh of course I do! But not anytime soon!"

"Pansy, how are you feeling?"

Pansy smiled at Narcissa's voice. It wasn't deep, but it wasn't high, and it was smooth and soothing.

"Awful, actually."

"I have that tea already made for you, dear," said Molly.

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley."

When Pansy took a sip, she gagged, then took a few more gulps while her heart hammered in her chest in fear of throwing up again.

'_Stay down!'_ she yelled in her head, and, in a few moments, she was fine. The tea worked wonders on her stomach.

* * *

-

* * *

"Hey."

"Oh, hi, Blaise."

"What are you up to?"

"Just getting some fresh air. I seem to need to do that a lot, lately."

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine. Mrs. Weasley's tea is a miracle." She smiled. They were standing on the back porch, and the gentle breeze lifted her long hair. Blaise's heart swelled. Here was the most beautiful girl on Earth, and she was having _his_ child.

"So…what is it?"

"What?"

"The baby? A boy or a girl?"

Pansy smiled.

"A girl."

Blaise couldn't help the huge grin that broke out on his face and he hugged her.

"I love you. You know that, right?"

"I love you too."

* * *

-

* * *

Later that day, Hermione and Amanda arrived with their bags, and, along with Aurora, they were transferred to the unused third floor bedroom. It used to be Percy's, but even Amanda knew not to mention his name. Even so, Mrs. Weasley had left the room sniffling after showing them to it.

They were both surprised to see Blaise, Draco, and Narcissa staying at the burrow, but then smiled and went about unpacking. Guests started arriving at five o'clock, the first being Remus and Tonks. Harry lost interest in the fireplace after them. He had been trying to get Malfoy alone all day, but when he thought about it, he didn't know what he would say. He was sitting on the porch when he got his chance. The back door opened and Malfoy stepped outside in the cold, wintery air. He looked startled when he noticed Harry sitting on the steps.

"Oh…I didn't see you there."

There was an awkward silence during which Draco shifted on his feet and Harry played with his shoelaces.

"Why –"

"I won't answer your questions."

"I wasn't going to ask anything personal."

"…Fine. What is it, then?"

"Why were you walking around without a shirt on if you're so self conscious about your back?"

Draco's initial response was to sneer and defend himself, but he pushed that feeling down and his face flushed again.

"I'm not used to sharing a bathroom. I was half asleep," he muttered. Harry actually felt bad.

"Oh." After a while, Harry stood. "I'm going back inside. You should probably come, too. It's cold."

"I can take care of myself."

Harry nodded and opened the door, but Draco stopped him.

"Potter."

"Yeah?"

"…" Stupid bloody pride…it wouldn't let Draco say what he wanted to say. "The note?"

"Burned."

"Thanks…"

Harry nodded, then walked inside and closed the door behind him. He took a deep breath. He then remembered the conversation he had with Ron earlier that day.

* * *

-

* * *

_Flashback_

"_He probably was just showing off."_

"_Ron, couldn't you see the embarrassment on his face?" Harry said. _

"_Oh come on, Harry. He wasn't wearing a shirt. If he didn't want people to see his scar, he should've worn a shirt. He was probably doing it to show off how tough he thinks he is."_

"_Don't you GET it, Ron?? He's not showing off! Who would show off scars…a scar like that? Hell, even I try to hide mine. Why can't you think of every possible situation instead of always accusing just because you don't like someone?"_

"_Why are you defending him?"_

"_It's not that I'm defending him, Ron. I'm just saying that he might have been half asleep still and forgot to put a shirt on."_

"_Whatever, mate."

* * *

-

* * *

  
_

Harry shook his head at how wrong Ron was. Clearly, Malfoy was not showing off. The look on his face when Charlie came down, before he went to the kitchen, said it all. His cheeks were red and his expression that of humiliation. He was also pressing his back against the wall, so Ron didn't even see those scars. If he had, perhaps he might have agreed with Harry.

"Oh Harry, there you are. Where's Draco? We're sitting down to eat, now!"

"Oh, I'll get him."

"Alright, dear." She bustled back into the living room, where there was a very long table and an enlargement charm on the room to fit everyone.

Harry knocked on the back door.

"Malfoy, we're eating." Then he went into the living room to sit down. Draco followed not long after. Chatter ensued, and soon, the room grew to be very loud.

"Molly, you outdid yourself," said Narcissa, who sat next to her.

"Truly, dearest," Arthur agreed. He sat on the other side of Molly.

"Oh, it was nothing," but Molly was blushing.

"I am having a wonderful time, Molly. Truly. It is lovely to do things without the threat of Lucius constantly on my shoulders."

"Like I said, wouldn't it be good to have a Christmas without Lucius?" Molly asked as she smiled. Arthur raised his butterbeer glass in a toast – he didn't like to drink, much.

"To a Christmas without Lucius."

* * *

-

* * *

After the delicious meal, the table was cleared and Molly enchanted the dishwasher to clean the dishes while she joined everyone in the living room to open gifts. Everyone received the usual knitted sweater in their house colors – even Tonks got a yellow and black one, which she happily put on. When Molly handed Draco, Blaise, and Pansy gifts, as she had already given Narcissa one, they looked at her in surprise.

"Gifts? For us?" Pansy asked.

"Why, of course! Do you think I wouldn't give you something?"

"Well…"

"We're not exactly part of the family," Draco said.

"We're barely friends," Blaise added.

"Nonsense!" Molly apparently liked saying that. "You're practically family. Cissa and I were the best of friends in school, and Pansy is one of Ginny's best friends. You're also friends of Fred and George." Draco and Blaise got sweaters just like the others, but Pansy received a beautiful, blue baby blanket.

"Mrs. Weasley…"

"Oh I know it's blue, and I don't know what sex the baby is, but I've always hated pink and I dressed Ginny in blue when she was a baby. I hope you like it."

"Mrs. Weasley, I love it," Pansy breathed. It was of the softest blue, one of Pansy's favorite colors.

"Oh good! Do you know the sex of the baby yet?"

"It's a girl." Pansy beamed at the cheers that erupted from her news, and felt Blaise's hand take hold of hers.

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Thank you all for the wonderful reviews, again! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	33. Laptops and Quidditch

Disclaimer: I do not own anything that isn't mine. :)

Thank you for your reviews!

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When we live such fragile lives

It's the best way we survive

I'll go around a time or two

Just to waste my time with you

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* * *

_Flashback_

"_Hermione!" Ginny gasped when she opened her present. She stared wide-eyed at the rectangular metal machine in her hands and picked it up. _

"_WOW! You got a computer!!" Ron exclaimed. Arthur and Molly exchanged looks._

"_How…why??" Ginny asked Hermione._

"_Oh I know it's not new…it's my old one…but it works fine, and I thought you could use one."_

"_Hermione, this is too much…"_

"_No it's not. Really. I know you like electronic things, as you have an mp3 player and a radio, but I wanted to get you something you could really use for more than music."_

"_Wow…I don't know what to say! Are you sure?" Hermione rolled her eyes and nodded, then laughed at Ginny's awestruck face. "Thank you!!!"_

_End flashback

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_

The following day was like most others, but with a little more cleaning up to do. The decorations had to come down, but that was about it. Last night, Hermione showed Ginny how to transfer her music from the mp3 player to her laptop by using the USB cord that came with the music player when Tonks gave it to Ginny last Christmas. Ginny was used to doing it the magical way from the school computers, so she was learning something completely new.

Computers were used in the wizarding world; it was not an uncommon thing, but they were a very recent addition. However, the Weasley's were so poor that they could not afford one. There was a computer room in the school, courtesy of a generous donation made by a student's parents over the summer, and people in the Ministry used them – those who knew how, at least.

Ginny brought her computer into the living room with her. She turned it on and turned up the volume, then began to dance a little as she cleaned up the decorations.

"'Cause you're hot then you're cold, you're yes then you're no, you're in then you're out, you're up and you're down. You're wrong when you're right, it's black and it's white, we fight we break up, we kiss we make up…'"

"You're in a rather good mood."

Ginny whirled around on the spot; she had been taking down a banner that was over the fireplace and was shaking her hips to the music while singing.

"Well, I have a computer, now. Of course I'm happy." She began tapping her foot to the music and returned to her work, turning her back to Draco. He was about to walk up to her when Aurora came running into the room.

"I LOVE this song! 'You change your mind like a girl changes clothes…cause you're hot when you're cold, you're yes then you're no, you're in then you're out, you're up and you're down!'"

Ginny laughed and swatted at her friend, who was dancing badly on purpose. Aurora then started working on the other side of the banner, now just simply swaying her hips and moving her shoulders a bit.

"'You don't really wanna stay, no, you, you don't really wanna go-o,'" they sang.

"Who is this?" Draco asked.

"Katy Perry," they both answered.

"She's a witch, but she's released her music to both the wizarding and muggle worlds," Ginny explained. "Wait 'til you hear what's next on my playlist," she said to Aurora. After the song ended, Aurora's eyes widened when the next began.

"Girl, you've got a great taste in music. 'I see your dirty face high behind your collar. What is done in vain, truth is hard to swallow…'"

Ginny grinned. She removed the last pin from the banner on her side, then Aurora removed the last one hers.

"'Now the sun's disgraced, he who knew his father when he cursed his name, turned and chased the dollar but it broke his heart so he stuck his middle finger TO THE WORLD TO THE WORLD TO THE WORLD!'"

"What is this music I'm hearing?"

Ginny and Aurora turned towards the door and saw Trinity and Amanda.

"You don't KNOW?!!" they asked Trinity, who was the one who asked. Both she and Amanda shook their heads.

"It's Kevin Rudolf. Let it Rock is the song," Pansy said as she entered the room and brought them a pitcher of lemonade with cups. But they shook their heads; they had never heard of him.

"Goodness! Where have you BEEN in the last year?? I always listen to it on my creative zen."

"Ginny, we can't hear the music on your mp3 player," said Trinity. "You're always dancing and singing random lines." She chuckled. "I like this music. I think I'll stay here and help take down the decorations."

'_Because when I arrive_

_I, I'll bring the fire_

_Make you come alive_

_I can take you higher_

_What is this, forgot?_

_I must now remind you_

_Let it rock_

_Let it rock_

_Let it rock'_ blared the computer.

While the music played, after Draco left with a shake of his head and a smirk on his face at their antics, they were able to take down the decorations in twenty minutes.

"Pans, were you sick this morning?" Ginny asked.

"No!" Pansy grinned. "I feel great! I haven't felt nauseous at all. I only drank the tea just to be safe…but I felt fine when I woke up."

"Hmm…do you think it's passing?" Amanda asked.

"Mrs. Weasley told me that it's different with everyone, so it might be very short with me. It was very long and horrible with her, apparently. Oh and Ginny, you gave her the worst morning sickness of all." Pansy smirked and ducked when Ginny threw a pillow at her.

"Oh hush. 'Hey hey you you I don't like your girlfriend! No way no way I think you need a new one. Hey hey you you I could be your girlfriend!'" Pansy looked at Ginny oddly, then realized she was just singing to the current song.

"That's not a good song!" said Aurora. Ginny made a face at her.

"Are you kidding?? It's a _great_ song!"

"Is not. It's annoying."

"Well you'll just have to deal with it," said Ginny, who began to dance crazily.

"Ginny, you're a nut," said Trinity, who shook her head and laughed at the redhead, who was now jumping around the room, swinging her hips and singing.

"You just figured that out now?" asked George, who was passing through to the kitchen with Fred. Trinity rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Of course not. I'm simply stating the obvious."

"Good man!" said Fred. Trinity rolled her eyes and snorted. He was very much like Blaise; they both said things that made sense to them and no one else, as well as use pronouns that did not fit, such as man. They then vanished into the kitchen.

"Ohh, now this is a good song," Trinity said.

"Who is it?" Amanda asked.

"Placebo. It's a muggle band, but they're fabulous," explained Trinity. "The song is Pure Morning."

"Its sound is way different from the others that have played, so far," said Aurora. "It's more…"

"Dirty?" Pansy suggested, then smirked again. Trinity snorted when Amanda's eyes widened.

"Oh _will_ you stop smirking?" Ginny asked.

"Why?"

"Because you look so Slytherin."

"Why thank you, Ginny dearest."

Ginny stuck her tongue out at Pansy and plopped down on a couch; they were all taking a break and drinking lemonade.

"Why do you look so scandalized?" Pansy asked Amanda.

"She's a prude."

"Trinity!"

"What? Amanda, you know it's true."

"Yes," Ginny said. "Embrace your prudidity. Ohh, prudidity…that's a keeper."

Trinity snorted again and the others laughed at Ginny's new word.

* * *

-

* * *

There was another quidditch match later that day, and Draco's team won when he caught the snitch not a moment too soon. The house was nearly sparkling, and there was little for them to do, so they sat around, played quidditch or other games when they were inside, Ginny played on her laptop, etc. They were waiting for the Order meeting that night, when Draco, Blaise, Pansy, and Harry would discuss Pansy's situation with the others who did not already know about it. They were debating on whether to tell them or just say that Pansy was in danger, but Pansy had simply said, "They'll know, eventually. It's not like I can hide it forever."

So they told the Order that night at Grimmauld Place, with Molly, Arthur, Tonks, and Remus as support.

"Well, this is certainly a predicament," said Snape. Pansy shrunk under his gaze; she looked at him as a mentor, and perhaps as a secondary sort-of father figure. So she, of course, felt ashamed. Blaise had the decency to look ashamed, as well.

"So you're going to tell Voldemort and your mother that you're befriending us and joining the Order so you can be a spy for them?" asked Moody.

"Yes," Pansy said.

"And we're supposed to just trust you?"

Pansy looked at the table.

"Alastor!" scolded McGonagall.

"NO! I won't accept this until they're all given veritaserum!"

"They'll do no such thing!" cried Molly. "They're children, Alastor!"

"SO WAS PETTIGREW!" he roared. "He started going to the dark lord before he graduated!"

"Mad-eye –" began Remus, but Pansy stopped him.

"Professor, it's alright. I'll take it." They looked at her in shock. "I understand Professor Moody's concern, and I'll do it."

Blaise squeezed her hand.

"I will, too."

Draco rolled his eyes and relented, as well.

"Very well…" muttered Minerva. "Severus, do you have any on you? Is there any here?"

"I can floo to Hogwarts. I will be back soon," was all he said. He rose, his robes billowing behind him as he made his way to the fire and disappeared. When he re-appeared not five minutes later, he handed it to the three Slytherins.

"Well? Drink up," said Moody. Snape sneered at him.

"The idea of my most loyal Slytherins…drinking Veritaserum. Despicable!"

"You would rather just letting them go off without being able to trust them completely?" growled Moody.

"_Yes_! I would because I trust them!"

"I trust them, too," came Harry's voice, which had been silent for a while. Moody gaped at the boy. Draco, Blaise, and pansy also looked at Harry in wonder.

"That's stupidity, boy!"

"Alright, that's enough," said Minerva. "They are taking it willingly, Severus. It isn't like we are forcing them. Alastor, people are entitled to their beliefs and thoughts. Can we proceed?"

Snape sat down while Moody grumbled to himself about stupid, trusting people who trusted too easily. After the three drank it, and made faces at the taste, Moody immediately began questioning them.

"Were you telling the truth when you said you would spy for us in reality, even though you would tell the dark lord that you will spy for him?"

"Yes," they all answered.

"So you won't betray us?"

"No," they answered.

"Are you really with child?" he asked Pansy. She blushed.

"Yes…"

"That's too personal!" Snape nearly shouted. He stood, almost knocking his chair over. "She already told you!"

"I THINK YOU KNOW SOMETHING WE DON'T AND ARE HIDING IT!"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Minerva yelled. "Alastor, you MUST control your temper! I realize that you have reason to be paranoid, but you will not treat an honored member of the Order like that! Severus, he is just asking questions. Perhaps they will be better coming from a woman?" Severus nodded and waved his hand at her.

"Um, professors, it's alright…you can ask us anything. Well…nothing _too_ personal," Pansy said.

"Alright. Mr. Zabini, all three of you will act as spies to the dark lord, correct?" asked McGonagall.

"Yes, but not in reality. We will report to the Order anything we can. Anything significant…like the attack Voldemort is planning for the end of the year. We told Po…_Harry_ and the others about it. That's why he told you."

His transfiguration professor smiled.

"We greatly appreciate that, Mr. Zabini. Now we can be prepared."

"Draco," began Snape, "I think you should tell them of what He wants you to do."

Draco cleared his throat; he had not wanted to mention that, but he supposed he had to.

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy?"

"Voldemort wants me to…do in Dumbledore. At the end of the year."

Many people at the table gasped, and everyone was surprised.

"He WHAT?!"

"You heard me, Potter. Don't act so dramatic."

"That's a serious thing, Malfoy!"

"Well I'm not going to do it, alright?!"

"How do WE know that? Huh?" asked Moody.

"He's under veritaserum, Alastor," Arthur reminded him. "Your own orders."

"Oh…well, yes, I suppose…"

When everyone was finally satisfied with Draco, Pansy, and Blaise, the meeting was brought to an end. After they scattered, Snape brought the Slytherins aside.

"Why didn't you come to me initially?" he asked, mostly to Pansy. She looked down at her hands. "You should not be ashamed, Pansy." Her heart swelled; he only used first names when he was in private with the students he cared for.

"I thought you would turn me away, or tell Dumbledore."

"Turn you away? Why would I ever do that?" When she began to cry, he eyes the other two, who got Snape's meaning, and they left, not noticing Harry listening in on their conversation.

"Because I thought you would be ashamed, and disappointed in me. And Blaise, I suppose…I'm not yet seventeen, and my father is probably rolling in his grave, if my mother even buried him, and I just don't know what to do!" She was fully sobbing now, and Snape pulled her into a hug. Harry's eyes widened so much, that if someone saw him, they would have wondered if his eyes would pop. He felt badly for eavesdropping, but he couldn't turn away.

"Pansy, listen to me. I knew your father. I do not believe that he would be ashamed of you. I believe he would have tried to help you as much as he could. Would it help if you knew that I see you as a sort of daughter-figure, and I'm not ashamed of you?"

She leaned back, away from him, and wiped her eyes with her sleeve, then smiled.

"I guess…thank you, Severus."

"You're welcome. Anytime you need me, floo me. Alright? I have to go, and I am sure that Mrs. Weasley would want you home for dinner on time."

"Thank you. It's a little late, but merry Christmas, professor."

"Merry Christmas, Pansy."

* * *

-

* * *

"Goodbye! Have a good rest of the year!"

"Bye!" came multiple voices from people waving to Molly and Arthur Weasley.

The group was getting onto the train to go back to Hogwarts, and were waving. They couldn't all fit into one compartment, so they split up Ginny, Fred, George, Amanda, Trinity, Draco, Blaise, and Pansy took one while the others took another. Harry and Aurora found their own compartment and after a little while, both fell asleep in each others arms.

"Wait…there's a tunnel somewhere in the dungeons and I have never seen it?" Draco asked. The twins nodded vigorously.

"We've done a lot of digging since we found it," said Fred.

"We have made a lot of progress," added George. He pulled out the Marauders' Map and showed it to them.

"It's quite interesting," Trinity put in. "I am excited to see where it goes. It's not on the map, though."

"The Marauders probably never found it," said George proudly.

"Can we see it?" Blaise asked. The twins nodded again.

"Of course! When shell we go, Forge?"

"Hmm…dunno, Gred. How about Tuesday night, since there will be a D.A. meeting on Monday?"

"Sounds good. Zabini?"

"That's fine with me. Draco?"

Draco shrugged, and nodded, and Pansy agreed, as well.

"What time?" she asked.

"Let's say…eight?" George asked them after his twin nodded in agreement. They were all free at that time, so they consented.

"Good, it's settled, then," Fred finalized.

* * *

-

* * *

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know that I've been writing filler, but I'll be getting to more, I promise! And there will be Harry/Aurora soon, as well as others. I don't mean smutty scenes, I mean love scenes. I don't much like smut…but there is some in this story. That's why it's labeled M. If you want more smut, I'm sorry but that's not the purpose of this story. I'll write a bit more, but like I said before, this isn't a porno.

Please review!


	34. Back at School

Disclaimer: I own nothing that isn't mine. I own the plot and my made up characters.

I hope you enjoy!

* * *

-

* * *

I'll go around a time or two

Just to waste my time with you

Tell me all that you've thrown away

Find out games you don't wanna play

* * *

-

* * *

"When are we going to tell everyone?"

"I don't know…when the time is right, I guess."

"When will we know?"

"We just will."

Pansy and Blaise were on their way to the D.A. meeting when Blaise put his arm around her back, to which she responded by placing hers around his waist.

"Pansy, I know you're scared, but we'll get through this, alright?"

She looked up at him and nodded, smiling shakily.

They were quite early, so they sat down on the floor by a pillar with Draco, Harry, Hermione, and Ron. Ginny arrived not too long after, and eventually, when Zacharias Smith was the last to arrive, they began.

"What are we going to learn today?" asked Colin Creevey. He and his brother Dennis were some of the most enthusiastic students.

"You're going to practice the curses we taught you last time, and then we'll move on to other ones," said Blaise. "Everyone, break up into groups and practice _Imperio_ and _Crucio_." All of a sudden, the death eater dummies from last time appeared, and Blaise smiled, then shook his head. "I'll never understand how this room works…"

After about ten minutes, during which Blaise, Draco, and Pansy walked around inspecting, Blaise stopped everyone.

"We're going to practice something some of you might have a problem with, and if you do, you may sit this out but I _highly_ advise not to. I truly think you should all try this. Group up. Groups of three or four. We're going to practice _Avada Kedavra_." There was an immediate reaction. Most gasped and looked at each other, and some protested.

"How are we supposed to practice _that_?" asked Zacharias Smith.

"We can't learn that!" someone else shouted. "That's so illegal"

"And _crucio_ isn't?" Pansy countered. "Quiet down, everyone!" she yelled. "Now. We predicted your reactions, and came up with something that will work. You will practice on the dummies. When you cast _Avada Kedavra_ on something that is not a living thing, it just blows up. If the curse doesn't work, it will merely hit the target and do nothing, or maybe splinter it a bit. The dummy must blow up completely. So, get to practicing."

"Wait, how will it work if we don't mean it?" Colin asked, truly curious rather than trying to be a smart ass.

"They are death eaters," Pansy said pleasantly; she liked Creevey. "Think of them as the real thing. Think of the horrible things they've done to people. I'm sure you'll come up with something." She smiled as Colin looked like he was thinking very hard. He grouped up with Ginny, Dennis, and Seamus.

On Harry's first couple of tries, all he did was either hit the target or make the target sway a bit. He got very frustrated and nearly growled when Draco called to him.

"Pretend it's a real death eater, Potter. Or Voldemort. You have to have truly angry, murderous feelings to blow it up WHOA!" Draco jumped as an explosion to his right startled him. He noticed that the death eater's hood had fallen and the face was his aunt's – Bellatrix. He looked up at the person who blew it up and was very impressed.

"Wow. I honestly did not think you could cast that curse to its full extent, Longbottom. Congratulations."

Neville's face was red from embarrassment due to the whole room of people staring wide-eyed at him, and because of the anger and hatred he felt for Bellatrix Lestrange.

"Do you all see what the room has done?" Draco asked. They looked at each other, and a lot of them shook their heads. "Longbottom hates Bellatrix Lestrange, so the room made his dummy look like her. Do that. Imagine a death eater, or Voldemort, or someone you truly want to die. Please don't let it be someone in this room, or anyone in the school. I don't want to deal with drama, thank you."

Hermione walked over to Neville and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Are you alright, Neville?" she asked quietly. He was still glaring at the pile of wood and fabric on the floor.

"Yeah. I'm alright. Anne, it's your turn."

Anne and Hermione shared a worried g look, then Hermione walked back to her group with Harry and Ron.

It was half an hour, and Draco wanted to move on to another curse.

"Alright, stop! We can continue practicing this next time. I want to move on. Potter, is there anything you know that you want to teach them?"

"Oh, I thought you were taking over. I was just going to learn whatever you knew."

"This was originally your thing, Potter, so come on. Isn't there anything you want to teach them? Something that isn't defensive."

"Well…" Harry thought back to his potions textbook. It wasn't new; it was borrowed, as Slughorn had given it to him from Snape's cupboard when he said he didn't buy the book. "I do know one." To be honest, he hadn't been able to perfect the curse he read about in the margins of the book. "It's called_ Sectum Sempra_."

Draco inwardly flinched. Pansy, Aurora, and Blaise shared a look, then glanced worriedly at Draco.

"What's that?" Neville asked.

Draco _really_ did not want a whole room of people shouting _Sectum Sempra_, but he would deal with it for now.

"It's a curse that produces several cuts on your enemy," said Harry.

"Gashes."

"Excuse me?" Harry asked.

"They are gashes, Potter. I mean Harry. Not cuts," said Blaise.

"You know the curse?" Hermione asked incredulously.

"Vaguely. I know what it does. As a matter of fact, I'm wondering how _you_ three know it."

"That doesn't matter," said Harry. "What matters is learning it. If you know it so well, Blaise, can you show us?"

"I don't know how to perform it," said Blaise. "I just know what it is. Don't you know how to cast it? You are, after all, the one who wanted to teach us."

"I'm learning it, too," Harry said. "From what I've found out, this is the motion to cast it." He showed them, and they practiced it. "Try it out on the dummies. The curse should produce more than just a couple of gashes." The dummies were suddenly back on their feet and fixed, and the lesson was underway. Eventually, Harry got it. Of course it was after Hermione had perfected it, though.

"Draco, you should try it," Blaise said in a low voice. "It's worth it."

"I don't need to. I know it well enough, thanks," Draco said, Blaise and Pansy getting Draco's real meaning.

"Draco, you could use it against him when we fight him at the end of the year," Pansy said gently and quietly.

Draco fired the curse at the dummy and sort of hit its side, then folded his arms.

"Happy? Now continue with your practice, please."

"We can practice with you later, when no one's here," Pansy said, then fired her curse at the dummy. She did not miss that under its hood, the face was Lucius Malfoy's.

* * *

-

* * *

The Slytherin quidditch practice was scheduled to be right after Gryffindor's the next day before dinner. Draco was the last of his team still in the changing room, which had rows of lockers for each house team in both the men's and women's rooms. Everyone else was on the field. He came in quietly and placed his bag on the bench, then stopped when he heard voices.

"You're being ridiculous, Ron. Just let it go."

"I just don't understand why he hid it when at the house, he didn't."

"I already _told_ you. He probably wasn't used to being around so many people. Also, being Head Boy, he has perks, like having his own room, waking up with no one around, a bathroom all to himself. He probably forgot to put the concealment charm on. Why can't you let this go? Why is it so important?"

"It's not…I was just curious."

"You're reading too much into this. It's just a scar," Harry said bitterly. Ron felt badly because he knew how self conscious Harry was about his scar, but Ron was a curious person and when something didn't make sense to him, he _had_ to find out more about it until it did make sense.

"But…'

"I've never concealed my scar because I never knew how to. If I suddenly started to, people would think I was just trying for attention. Is Malfoy any different? So he forgot to conceal his scar. Big deal."

Draco's heart did a summersault. Why, he did not know. Perhaps it was from someone sticking up for him when very few have done so, before, even if it _was_ Potter. He took off his shirt and began rummaging through his bag for his long-sleeved quidditch practice jersey; it was quite cold out. After all, it _was_ January.

"Maybe you're right…I'm just curious. It doesn't make sense. You know how I like things to make sense."

"Yeah."

"Are you coming?"

"I can't seem to find my other sock. Go on without me."

But Draco wasn't listening; he was still looking for his jersey and did not realize that Ron had left without seeing him, and Harry had not. When Harry walked towards the door, which was behind Draco, he spotted the blonde and his heart clenched when he saw the other boy's scars appear on his back.

He cleared his throat and Draco whirled around.

"Your, uh…charm wore off."

Draco's eyes widened slightly.

"Oh…"

"Draco?" came a feminine voice from behind the door, then a knock. "Are you decent?"

"Yes," he called. The door opened and Ginny walked through it. She was fairly surprised that Harry was still there, but recovered quickly.

"Oh, hi Harry. Draco, your team is getting restless. Why are you taking so long?"

"I can't find my jersey."

She rolled her eyes and walked over to the bench where his bag was, then started digging through it.

"Hey!" he protested, but when she pulled his jersey out of a side pocket, his irritation turned to surprise. "You found it!"

"It was in the side pocket, idiot. Oh, ah…your…um…"

She motioned to his back with her eyes and mouthed something to him.

"Potter knows. You can just say it," Draco mumbled, rolling his eyes. This was obviously very awkward for him.

"He knows??"

"Knows what?" Harry asked.

"About his back," Ginny explained.

"_You_ know?"

"Yes, Harry, I know. Well, now that that's cleared up…Draco, your charm has worn off."

"I know. Potter so nicely pointed that out to me before you interrupted my changing process."

"Oh well excuuuse me, Mr. Perfect. Should I…?" Ginny did not finish her sentence because she didn't know if Harry knew that she was one of the very few whom Draco allowed to cast the concealment charm on his back.

"No," Draco said with an air of finality, and Ginny stayed quiet. Harry knew that something had passed between them, but he did not want to intrude, so he said nothing.

"Well, now that I have my jersey, do you mind?" he asked Ginny. She huffed and folded her arms across her chest.

"Fine, fine. I'll leave. But don't say I didn't warn you when you get attacked by your teammates." With that, she left.

"Why are you still here?" Draco asked Harry after he put his long sleeved winter Jersey on.

"I wanted to organize a scrimmage on Friday. It's just for fun."

"Are you asking me to go?"

"I mean, you don't have to. I was just offering."

"I'll think about it." When Harry didn't leave, Draco raised an eyebrow. "Is there something else you wanted to talk about?"

"Why…why do you not have a problem with my relationship with Aurora?"

"I…what?" Draco's eyes widened; he was not expecting this. He thought Potter would ask him about his scars.

"You never came to me and gave me the 'if you hurt her, I'll kill you' talk."

"Do you _want_ me to threaten you? Because, by all means, I'd love to."

"I was…under the impression that you didn't like me, much, and when you gave me looks of approval when you saw me with her, and never came to me to threaten me, it confused me and I wanted to know why you didn't."

"Oh believe me, I _will_ kill you if you hurt her. I'm sure you already know that." Harry nodded. "So why do I have to waste my breath? You're the least of my worries, Potter. There is a war going on. I have to worry about whether or not Voldemort will find out that I'm a spy for the other side, or about my father escaping from Azkaban. Not about how much you love my sister."

"I do love her," Harry said.

"I know."

Harry's eyes widened.

"Oh…okay. Good."

"I have a practice to get to," Draco said.

"Right." Harry opened the door and left. Draco stared at the door with a strange look on his face, then shook his head.

"What an odd person…"

* * *

-

* * *

After dinner that evening, Draco, Blaise, and pansy met Fred, George, and Ginny by the one-eyed witch statue, after which the three Weasleys lead the way down to the tunnel Fred and George had found earlier in the year. When they arrived, they stood in front of a large tapestry Draco, Pansy, and Blaise had walked past many a time. Fred and George took out the Marauder's Map Harry had leant them to see if anyone was round. When no one was, they cast a deafening charm on the three Slytherins while they said the password. When they took the charm off, the Slytherins looked puzzled.

"Can't be too careful," said George.

"There was originally no password, but there were many sticking and repelling charms on this tapestry, but we eventually got it," said Fred. They pulled aside the tapestry and held it open for them. After they let it fall behind them, Fred and George cast _Lumos Maxima_.

"Wow…" Pansy murmured.

"How did you find this place?" Blaise asked. "And how did we never figure out it was here?"

"Well, we are naturally attracted to mysterious things, and have now explored the entire castle," said Fred.

"When we realized that we were being pushed away from the tapestry, and that there were charms cast all over it, we were intrigued," said George.

"How long is it?" asked Draco.

"I'd say about one mile, now," Fred said.

"Really?" asked Ginny. "You've done _that_ much since I last saw it?"

"Why yes, dear sister," George answered. "We are going at quite a fast pace."

When they finally reached the end, Draco, Blaise, and pansy noticed the chairs, everlasting candles, garbage can, and refrigerator.

"You sure spend a lot of time down here, huh?" Pansy asked.

"Most of our free time is dedicated to this tunnel," George answered.

"We want to clear the cave-in to see where this tunnel leads to," Fred added. "It fuels our curiosity." They went on to explain how they cleared away the rubble when they stopped something.

"Did you hear that?" Fred asked. George and the others nodded their heads. "There it is again!" They pressed their ears to the rock of the blockage, and heard a faint boom. It was so quiet that it was almost nonexistent, but they heard it.

"I want to leave," said Ginny uneasily.

"Oh don't be such a ninny, Ginny," said Blaise.

"I'm sure it's nothing important or harmful," said Fred, "but I sure want to find out what it is. To the tunnel! Oh wait…we're already here." He laughed at himself, thinking himself quite funny. "Oh alright, let's get you lot out of here. George and I are going to work on it a bit tonight."

"Be careful," said Ginny.

"Don't worry, Gin-bug," George said. "It's probably nothing."

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I hope you enjoyed that! And I hope you got some answers. I'll get the next chapter up soon! Thanks for reading, and please review!


	35. Breakout

Disclaimer: I own nothing that isn't mine.

Note: When people floo each other, but don't walk through and just talk, it does not look like it does in the movie when Sirius contacted Harry. They can actually see each other's detailed faces, not embers that look like the faces. They may be a bit reddened, but not embers. The face floats in the fire instead of being an actual part of it.

Also, a baby born from magical parents is carried for eight months as opposed to the nine months for muggles. So instead of having trimesters, witches have dimesters. I hope you don't think this is a stupid change, but Pansy MUST be used for something later on and she has to be recovered from the birth by then.

There are Ginny/Draco scenes later on, so I hope it satisfies you for now! They're not smutty, though, because it wouldn't work with the situation.

I hope you enjoy!

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Tell me all that you've thrown away  
Find out games you don't wanna play  
You are  
The only one that needs to know

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* * *

It was January 23rd; the first day of the third month of Pansy's pregnancy. Since, in the wizarding world, a baby is only carried for eight months, Pansy was now in her second dimester. Draco, Blaise, and Pansy huddled together in front of the fire in the Head Students' common room after informing Dumbledore of what they were planning to do later that night. A member of the Order that was not Dumbledore was to be hidden in the room to record the conversation, as the headmaster had other duties to attend to. He chose the option that made the most sense – Severus Snape. He was not holding a class that late at night, and he was already in the castle. He was to be hidden behind the couch.

Hermione, Ginny, Aurora, Harry, and Ron were far enough up Hermione's staircase and hidden behind the portrait hole to not be seen. When everything was ready, Pansy gave a heavy sigh and flooed her mother.

"Parkinson Manor." Pansy got the attention of one of the many abused house elves that her mother used around the house, and asked the house elf to get her mother for her. If Hermione knew how Pansy's mother treated those elves, she'd have a cow. The house elf hurried off and, within minutes, she heard footsteps.

"Pansy?" she called, appearing in the fire. "What a nice surprise." Pansy inwardly rolled her eyes. "What can I do for you? Oh! Hello, Draco. Blaise."

"Hello, ma'am," the boys replied.

"I apologize for contacting you so late, Mrs. Parkinson," said Draco, playing along. Pansy's mother, in turn, played right into his hands.

"Oh not at all, Draco dear! Oh what a polite boy." She looked pointedly at Pansy. "Where is that girl you live with, Draco?"

"The mudblood isn't here, we made sure of that," snarled Pansy.

"Good. Now, what is it I was summoned for?"

"We, uh…have something to tell you, mother. I…well…I got…"

"Spit it out, girl. I don't have all night."

This got Pansy's anger going, and she was able to tell Mrs. Parkinson what she had to tell her without any more worry because of her anger. She lived to spite her mother while not letting her mother on to her.

"I'm pregnant."

You could hear the crickets outside, five floors below.

"You…_what_?" the older woman asked in a whisper.

"It is mine, Mrs. Parkinson," Draco added quickly. "It just happened. We were incredibly irresponsible, immensely stupid, and were not thinking but I love Pansy, and I will take responsibility for my actions, as will she. I know this is not how you wanted this to happen, but we will make it work and I intend to marry her."

Mrs. Parkinson was practically beaming.

"Well, I must say that I am _incredibly_ disappointed and embarrassed, not to mention ashamed that my daughter would do such a thing, especially before marriage! But, at least it's yours. There would be hell to pay if it wasn't. How far along are you?" she asked Pansy, who was seething at her mother's words but Draco kept a hand on hers to keep her calm.

"Three months, today."

"What is it? Boy or girl?"

"I don't know."

Draco and Blaise shared a confused glance.

"You don't _know_?? Well, find out!"

"I don't want to. I want to keep it a surprise."

"Well I want to know what it is!"

"Well that's too bad, isn't it, mother?"

"You will not take that tone with me, young lady!"

"And you will not tell me what to do when it comes to my child."

"Mrs. Parkinson," Draco said quickly, before the woman could say anything else, "we have a plan. We have been trying to get 'in' with Potter's group to get close to them, and to make them think we are good people." He snorted in fake disgust. "Pansy has done a marvelous job of getting the smallest Weasel to see her as a best friend and, as a result, gained the trust of Weaslette's friends, which extended to Potter, Granger, and the Weasel's older brother. She used the death of her useless father to get the little Weasel to feel badly for her."

"I see. Well done, Pansy. That's what I like to hear."

Draco glanced at Pansy with a hint of guilt, but she didn't even have to look at him to know that he truly didn't mean what he said. He really liked Pansy's father, and hoped that the deceased man would forgive him for using such harsh words. Blaise continued the explanation.

"We are doing this to find out more information about the Order and their plans, which we will then report to the Dark Lord. Now, the school believes that I cheated on Anne with Pansy simply because I left the Halloween party with her, but I merely walked her back to her room. When we leak out that Pansy is pregnant, we will make the whole school, sans Slytherin, think that I am the father, as it looks better to them and is more believable than if we told them the truth – that the baby is really Draco's. However, we will tell Slytherin the truth before we tell everyone else. We will tell them our plans – of course, leaving out those who are not with the Dark Lord…traitorous little _whelps_. When we tell the Dark Lord our plan, we will suggest that we try to become members of the Order of the Phoenix, and see what his advice is." Blaise sneered for effect as his heart pounded while he waited for Pansy's mother's reply.

"Well, I am impressed. You three have really thought this out. What does Severus have to say about it?"

"He likes the plan," Draco said.

"He thinks we can pull it off without looking suspicious," Pansy told her.

"Well then, I trust that you will pull this off and you will not fail." She gave them all pointed looks.

"We won't," Blaise answered.

"Good. Tell me when you are going to tell the Dark Lord. I want to be there." She vanished. Just in case she decided to come back, Draco threw a bucket of water on the fire. Magical or not, a fire could not be lit if what it was burning on was wet.

"She gives me the creeps," Draco said.

"Tell me about it…" Blaise added.

"Is it clear?" came Hermione's voice from behind her portrait hole.

"All clear," called Pansy.

Snape stood from his place behind the couch when the portrait to Hermione's set of stairs opened.

"You called Hermione a mudblood!!" Ron shouted at Pansy, pointing an accusing finger at her while barreling through the doorway after Hermione opened it.

Pansy narrowed her eyes, but Snape snarled a response at Ron before she could.

"If she had called Miss Granger by her name, do you _really_ think that Mrs. Parkinson would have believed a word of that explanation? The entire plan would be ruined."

"But…"

"Mr. Weasley, I suggest you go on your way to bed. It is almost curfew. That goes for the rest of you, as well." He then nodded to his Slytherins and left the common room, his robes billowing behind him.

"Why didn't you tell her the gender of the baby?" Blaise gently asked Pansy.

"I knew she'd want to know, and I wanted to get under her skin."

"Wouldn't that have tipped her off?" Hermione asked tartly, a little upset by the mudblood comment.

"No, because we have never gotten along and she knows I like bugging her."

When most had left and Draco had gone up to his room, Pansy lagged behind to say something to Hermione.

"Look, I apologize for the name, but I hope you can understand that I had to. Even the use of your last name would have sounded too friendly to my mother."

"Well, I do, but it stung, you know."

As Pansy was about to close the outside portrait hole, she made her last remark.

"So did the pug comment."

Hermione looked at the floor in shame when she remembered calling Pansy that.

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"Well, this certainly isn't something I haven't seen in my years at Hogwarts, but it is very rare. Have you told your mother about this?" Madam Pomfrey bustled over to her cabinet and pulled out a potion. It was a week after she had spoken to her mother, and she was persuaded to see the school nurse. Blaise had gone with her to keep her company – and hold her hand when she needed it.

"Yes…wait, there have been people who were pregnant here before??" Pansy asked.

"Well yes, it has happened, but only once. Here you go. It's for constipation." Pansy's entire face turned beet-red as she took the potion from the nurse's hands. She didn't even glance at Blaise; she was too embarrassed.

"But I don't have –"

"You may not, now, but it can happen at your stage of pregnancy. I won't ask you if you have it, but I will give this to you in case it happens. That way, you won't have to embarrass yourself by coming to me and asking for it. I have to make arrangements with a neonatologist from St. Mungo's to schedule regular appointments with you."

"Uh...okay…"

"Would you prefer a female doctor, or do you not care?"

"Uh…female, please."

"Alright. I'll make the necessary arrangements. The headmaster gave me a copy of your schedule along with Mr. Zabini's in case you wanted him to accompany you to your appointments."

Pansy and Blaise shared a knowing look.

"Yes, I would like that."

"I'm going to do a basic spell to see how you and the baby are doing. If you would like, I can teach you how to perform it, or you can go to Miss Granger – she has been coming to me for medi training. Lie down." Pansy complied. She was too shocked with how the nurse was taking this to say anything, but she supposed Madam Pomfrey was used to it, as there was one other case of pregnancy in Hogwarts.

Madam Pomfrey performed the spell and Pansy's eyes widened in surprise as she saw a hologram image of her baby appear in front of her. It was only about as large as a fig and not very recognizable, but she felt her heart swell in happiness. She looked at Blaise, who was practically glowing. He was looking at the hologram with amazement in his eyes.

"That's…our baby??" Madam Pomfrey nodded, smiling at the look the young couple shared. "Wow…that's unbelievable." He squeezed Pansy's hand as his heart, like hers, swelled with love for the tiny thing.

"It sure is…" Pansy commented.

"Well, there is nothing wrong with either of you," said Madam Pomfrey. "You and the baby are both healthy, though your caffeine levels are a bit higher than normal. You will want to lower your caffeine intake; it is harmful to the baby."

Pansy's eyes widened.

"I didn't know that. I'll stop drinking tea, then."

"How much do you drink?"

"Well, I usually have two cups a day but while I stayed with the Weasleys for Christmas break, Mrs. Weasley gave me a tea that did not have caffeine in it."

"You don't have to stop drinking it completely. One cup a day, or one every two days, will be alright."

"Okay. Thank you, Madam Pomfrey." Pansy stood when the nurse ended the spell.

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Breakfast the next morning was fairly normal. Students looked tired, some cranky, and, as usual, they perked up when the owls soared in to deliver the mail. However, as soon as the _Daily Prophet_ was picked up by subscribers, there was an uproar. Harry's eyes immediately went to Dumbledore's seat, but he wasn't there. Harry took this as a bad sign, and worry began to rise in his chest. Ginny, who was sitting with the Gryffindors, quickly looked over to the Slytherin table and noticed that Draco wasn't there. An immense feeling of panic washed over her and she jumped out of her seat but didn't get very far – the doors had slammed open and Dumbledore strode into the Great Hall, Snape and McGonagall at his side.

"SILENCE!" The Great Hall quieted. "Now, I know you all know what has happened by now. Please do not panic; I have been out all night at the Ministry helping the Aurors and trying to get everything under control. You are not in danger, as Hogwarts is safe. However, I am asking you to return to your dormitories. Classes are canceled for today, and your Heads of House will come around and make sure that everyone is here. Off you go."

Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny glanced at each other; Fred and George had already left. Their hearts were heavy with concern, the _Daily Prophet_ scattered on the tables. On the front page, in large letters, it read:

_MASS BREAKOUT IN AZKABAN_

_Last night, there was a breakout in Azkaban at 12:34 am. The Death Eaters who escaped are Antonin Dolohov, Lucius Malfoy, Walden McNair, Bellatrix Lestrange, Rodolphus Lestrange, and Augustus Rookwood. Measures are being taken to capture these individuals.

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"Ginny! I've been looking for you. After Se…Snape checked that we were all here, we were allowed to leave and I had to find you. Ginny, _Draco isn't here!_

"

Ginny's blood ran cold.

"What?" she nearly whispered. Blaise ran up to them from the direction Pansy had come.

"Did you tell her?" he asked Pansy, who nodded.

"Do you know where he is?" Ginny asked, careful not to reveal how much she cared about his disappearance.

"No. Snape is really worried, though, which makes me worried. I think…I think he might be with Lucius."

Ginny let out a helpless noise.

"No…he's going to abuse him again!"

"You know about that?" Pansy asked carefully.

"Yes, yes I know about that. Pansy, what are we gonna do? We have to go look for him! He could be killed!"

"Ginny, listen to me," Pansy said in her calm, commanding tone. "Draco has a very good story, don't you remember? You did help us come up with it. The most Lucius will do to him is really hurt him and, as worried as I am, if we go to look for him, it would be suicide for us and certain death for Draco. Come with us to lunch, okay? I'm sure Draco will be back by tonight."

"Okay…"

"Why do you care about him so much? I thought you used to hate his guts," Blaise said curiously.

"He's my friend, Blaise."

Blaise knew that the tone Ginny used was a finalizing one, and he wouldn't say anything more on the matter. Besides, his curiosity was quenched…for now.

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Lunch resumed as normal, save for the chit chat about the breakout. Ginny could not concentrate on her work, so she decided to try and relax for the day. However, she was so worried, that she could barely do that. She was counting off the minutes into hours of the day while sitting by a window in the library when Hermione sat down next to her. She put a hand on Ginny's knee, but Ginny continued to stare out the window.

"I know you're worried about him. I am, too. But he'll turn up, Ginny. I'm sure of it. He's strong; he'll be able to take being around Lucius for a while, and then he'll be back, making you laugh and smile again."

Ginny turned to Hermione.

"You know? About what his father does to him?" Ginny asked in a whisper.

"Ginny, I live with him. Of course I know. I caught him one morning before he put his charm on. Not many people k now about it, mind you, so don't go off talking about it. He got really furious when I found out."

"Of course I'm not going to go talking about it to people!"

"Oh I know…but I had to say that, anyway."

Ginny began to cry.

"Hermione, he's going to _hurt_ him! No one deserves that! Especially not from a parent!"

"I know, but we can't help that right now. All we can do is wait for Draco to come back."

"But what if he doesn't?!" Ginny was trying so hard to be quiet, but tears were spilling down her cheeks and her voice was cracking. Hermione pulled her into a hug, her own tears staining the back of Ginny's shirt.

"He _will_. I know he will."

Harry slipped away, unnoticed, pulling Ron along with him before the redhead made a scene. They had not heard most of what was said between the two girls, but the heard 'Draco' and that was enough to let the boys know what Hermione and Ginny were talking about. They had not heard anything about Draco being with Lucius, or about abuse.

"What the hell was _that_ about?!" Ron asked when they left the library.

"What do you think, Ron? They're upset because Malfoy is missing, and they're sure they know where he is."

"But…but…they were _crying_."

"Ron, Ginny and Malfoy are friends and Hermione and Draco are more like brother and sister than anything else. Calm down. You should be comforting them, especially Hermione. Not doubting them."

"I know…what's wrong with me, mate?"

"You love her, so you obviously get jealous. You just get too jealous, and you need to step back and assess the situation. And…I think you need to let go of this rivalry we have with Malfoy."

"That's easier said than done."

"But you've been doing it. You've played quidditch with him, sat at his table, and you haven't gotten angry with Ginny in weeks. Go to Hermione later and assure her that Malfoy will come back." Ron paled at Harry's words. "Trust me. It'll make your relationship better with Hermione, and it'll show her how mature you're being."

"Yeah…I guess. You going up to the common room?"

"Yeah. Let's go play chess."

"You're on!"

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* * *

When Hermione walked through the portrait hole later, Harry and Ron were still playing chess. Ron had, of course won five of the six games they played. Harry motioned to Ron, then to Hermione.

"Well, I'm beat. I'm gonna go upstairs for a short nap before dinner. See you at seven." With that, Harry left the common room and, seeing that there was no one else in the room, Ron decided to take Harry's advice. He got up from the table and sat down next to Hermione on the couch by the fire.

"Hey."

"Oh, hello, Ron."

"Why are you here, rather than your own common room?" Hermione was a common sight in the Gryffindor common room, but Ron, for once, knew how to start this conversation. Hermione looked curiously at him.

"I'm always in here."

"Yeah I know, but you don't know when Malfoy'll be back. Shouldn't you go wait for him?"

Hermione's eyes widened in shock.

"Why are you telling me to go wait for him??"

"Because he's your friend. If you, Harry, Ginny, or any of my other friends/siblings went missing, I'd be pretty upset. Actually…I'd probably go insane and lead a search party out to find them. But you can't do that in this situation…since death eaters are running around, free."

Hermione, still surprised, smiled.

"Well, I figured I would be notified by a teacher when he gets back…if he comes back."

"He will come back, Mione."

She broke out into tears and he wrapped his arms around her awkwardly as she cried into his chest.

"What…if…he…doesn't? What if he's…killed? I He's like a brother to me…I've never had a sibling before but…oh, Ron…if I lose him, I'll lose the thing closest to the only sibling I'll ever have!"

"Shh, it's ok, Hermione. He'll be back. You'll see."

Ron felt loads better when he heard Hermione talk about Malfoy as a brother. Harry was right; they did act like siblings, anyway. They cared about each other, but they bickered and argued like brother and sister. Ron smiled, and hesitantly hoped that Malfoy would come back.

When Harry came back downstairs at 6:45 pm, Hermione was asleep on Ron's lap. Harry smiled at Ron.

"You should wake her; it's time for dinner."

"Okay. Mione, come on. You have to get up."

"Mm…did I fall asleep?"

"Yeah."

"What time is it?"

"Almost seven. Let's go to dinner."

"Okay." She sat up, fixed her hair, which she had cut to her shoulders over Christmas break, then followed the boys out of Gryffindor and to the Great Hall. They found Ginny there, and Hermione let out a breath she was holding. She thought Ginny might skip dinner, as Ginny doesn't eat when she gets depressed or worried.

"I thought you might not be here," Hermione whispered when she sat down next to the redhead.

"I'm not hungry…but you'd get on my case if I didn't eat. So, here I am."

Hermione smiled lightly.

"Come on, let's eat. We'll go back to my common room after and wait for him, okay?"

Ginny nodded, but she had other plans. She would wait for Hermione to go to the bathroom or leave the room for something, then she would leave to go down to the Great Hall and hide there until she saw Draco. Lucius wouldn't send him through floo as that was too dangerous and could get him caught, so she was pretty sure that Draco would come through the main doors.

When Ginny and Hermione were finished eating at eight, they said their goodbyes and made their way to the Head Students' dorm. It was an awkward first hour, as the two of them sat in the common room in silence. Hermione pulled some of her homework out of her bag and started it. An hour later, she decided to take a shower.

'_Finally_,' Ginny thought. It was now ten o'clock. When Hermione went upstairs, Ginny slipped out after casting a disillusionment charm on herself. It wasn't a great one, as that was advanced magic, but it did its job. It was supposed to make people step around her, not notice her. She made it to the hallway outside the Great Hall where she took the charm off and hid behind a statue, but not without catching someone's attention.

Harry had been standing in the hallway under his invisibility cloak, waiting for something to happen. When he saw Ginny take off the disillusionment charm off herself, his eyes widened. He thought she was with Hermione.

The two didn't have to wait long. The doors opened fairly quietly and a cloaked figure stumbled in, closing the large doors behind them. When the figure took his hood off, Ginny gasped and ran to him.

"Draco!"

"Ginny?"

"We've been so worried! Where were you? Are you alright?" She hugged him but quickly jerked her arms away when he hissed in pain.

"_Don't touch my back!_"

"I'm so sorry, I should have known."

"It's fine…were you waiting here for me?"

"I've been waiting all day for you…Hermione and I were waiting in your common room for two hours…and I was getting more and more nervous. So when she went to take a shower, I came down here. It wasn't too long ago…about twenty minutes. Are you alright? Did he hurt you?" she asked furiously.

"I'm fine, Ginny." But when Draco took a few steps towards the stairs that lead to the hallway, he hissed again. "Son of a bitch…"

"Draco, you're _not_ alright. Sit down and I'll heal your leg as much as I can."

"No, I just want to get to my common room."

"Well you can't go like this! And you should be going to Madam Pomfrey, not the common room."

"I got here, didn't I? And no, I will not risk going up there and have everyone in the school talking about how poor ickle Malfoy gets abused by his daddy. I'm going to the common room."

Harry nearly gasped as his theory of how Malfoy got his scars was confirmed.

"You're so stubborn…fine. But will you please let me cast a minor spell on your leg so that you can at least walk a bit easier?" He sighed and sat down. When he rolled up his pants on his right leg, she winced.

"What did this?" she asked quietly.

"_Sectum Sempra_."

Harry's heart jolted. _Sectum Sempra_? And he practically _made_ Draco try it out in the D.A. meeting in the beginning of January! He remembered that Draco had known the curse, and overheard him telling Pansy and Blaise that he was already _too_ familiar with it. Harry felt horrible, now. Had Malfoy's father used that curse on his own son? Is that how he got the awful scar on his right side?

"That's the curse Harry had you show us during the first D.A. meeting of this semester…"

"Yes. But he didn't know, so don't worry about it."

Harry was mildly surprised that Malfoy wasn't angry with him for that. Ginny pulled out her wand and performed a minor healing spell after a _scourgify_ to clean up the blood that was everywhere. As she was pulling his pant leg down, he asked her something in a voice so quiet, Harry barely heard it.

"You waited for me?"

"Of course I did, Draco," she said softly. "Hermione, Pansy, and the others were worried all day. Aurora was beside herself. She kept herself locked in our room and wouldn't stop crying. She didn't even come to dinner."

"Why did you wait for me?"

Ginny looked up at him.

"Draco, I...I care about you, you know that. Why wouldn't I wait for you? You mean a lot to me. I was worried that…that you were with Lucius. I've been thinking about what he could be doing to you all day, and I was so scared. I was afraid that you wouldn't come back…"

"Ginny…"

Draco reached up to wipe away the tears on her face. Harry had an idea that they weren't just friends…he wanted to leave, as this was a very private moment and Malfoy wouldn't want Harry of all people to see it. But he couldn't leave, now. He was too curious as to what Draco and Ginny's relationship was. Was it really just friends? He wasn't so sure, anymore.

"Thank you for healing my leg."

"It wasn't much…it's not even a great spell."

"But it feels better. Let's get back to the common room."

"Okay, but you have to lean on me. I can't put my arm around your back, can I?" Draco shook his head. They made their way up to the Head Students' dorm and when they went inside, Harry following behind them.

Ginny took Draco over to the couch and he sat down on it. She helped Draco take his cloak off and, when it was on the floor, Harry held back a gasp at how much blood was on Malfoy's shirt. "Draco…how did he get to you? Weren't you here?"

"He came in through the floo in the common room and, after checking that I was there doing homework, he grabbed me. Ginny…thank you. For being there and for helping me."

She held a hand to his cheek and smiled.

"I'd do anything for you. You know that." Harry was now sure that these two weren't just friends. "I wish we didn't have to hide."

"I know, me too. But we have to now more than ever…Ginny…I…don't think we should continue this." Ginny's eyes widened. "It's too dangerous, especially now that Lucius isn't in Azkaban anymore."

Ginny leaned closer to him with an angry expression on her face and pointed a finger at him.

"Don't you 'it's too dangerous' me, Draco! I KNOW what danger I'm in if anyone finds out I'm dating you! I KNOW the risks I'm taking, but I'm taking them, anyway!" Draco's eyes widened with every sentence. "Don't be one of those guys who try to get their women out of danger by telling them that they mean nothing, that it was all a joke! Don't do that to me!" She was crying now.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry! I won't. I didn't know how strongly you felt about that."

"Please don't push me away!"

He wrapped his arms around her as well as he could without hurting himself and let his chin rest on her head.

"I won't, Ginny. I promise."

Harry was getting more and more shocked at every surprise Ginny and Draco threw at him unknowingly. He would _never_ have thought that their relationship was more than slight bickering, and maybe a few laughs. He had no idea that it had gone this far.

Just then, Hermione came downstairs as her portrait hole opened. Ginny and Draco jumped apart.

"DRACO! Oh Merlin, are you alright?? I heard voices and I hoped one of them was yours." She ran over to him and took his face in her hands, moving his head this way and that.

"I'm fine, Hermione. I'm here in one piece, aren't I?"

"Ginny, where was he??"

"I found him by the main doors."

"So _that's_ where you went…I'm so glad you're okay, Draco." She went to throw her arms around him but he and Ginny yelled at the same time.

"DON'T HUG ME/HIM!"

Hermione stopped mid-way, her arms around Draco but not touching him. Her eyes were wide.

"Huh?"

"His back," Ginny said.

"Oh. Take off your shirt, Draco. I'll heal it. I've been taking lessons from Madam Pomfrey in healing." Harry assumed Hermione knew about the scars on Malfoy's back, and continued to stare in shock at the situation.

"Bossy wretch," Draco mumbled. Hermione rolled her eyes as she went behind Draco to help him pull his shirt off. He hissed again.

"Oh quit your whining, Draco. I'm trying to help you."

"I wasn't whining, I was hissing. Moron."

"I love how you two can turn a serious situation into funny bickering."

"We are not bickering!" they both said simultaneously. Ginny just laughed.

"You were _so_ brother and sister in another life."

After the two in question rolled their eyes, Draco yelped.

"Draco, I have to cast _aguamenti_. Your shirt is stuck to your back because the blood has dried. It'll hurt, but not as much as pulling your shirt off."

Draco nodded his consent, and Hermione cast the spell. Draco gritted his teeth, but emitted no finally peeled off Draco's shirt and gasped. There were gashes and welts all over his back and a couple on his arms.

"Can you just heal it, please? I don't want your pity. Just get rid of it…"

Hermione nodded but shared a worried look with Ginny, who had tears in her eyes again. Harry looked at Malfoy's back in horror. Hermione cast _scourgify_, then a healing spell that was stronger than the one Ginny used on Draco's leg earlier. The cuts and gashes on his back and arms knit themselves together before their eyes and the pain Draco had been feeling lessened greatly, as was clear in his eyes and expression.

"Thank you," he said sincerely. Hermione sat on the couch in front of him, as he was sort of sitting sideways.

"You're welcome. Is there anything else you would like me to heal?"

"No, I'm fine –"

"Draco," Ginny said in a prompting tone. "He's just being a guy, Hermione. His leg is hurt, too. I cast a simple healing spell on it when we were downstairs, but I don't think it did that much good."

Draco was grumbling about silly girls fussing over him.

"Well you should be lucky you have girls fussing over you at all!" Hermione said jokingly. "I can't fully heal this, Draco. Go upstairs – slowly – and put some shorts on. I'm going upstairs to get some salve that'll help the welts."

When Hermione left, Draco turned to Ginny.

"I'll be right back."

"Can I come with you?"

"I don't need help, Gin."

Harry unwillingly smiled at Malfoy's use of Ginny's nickname.

"Well…you might."

"I'm not an invalid. Just wait here, I'll be right back." He smiled reassuringly at her. "Also, it'll look bad if you come. Hermione might suspect something."

"Can't we trust her?"

"…The less people who know about it, the better."

"But no one knows about it."

"That's good." At Ginny's downcast face, he fully turned to her after standing and lifted her chin. "Look…someday, we _will_ be able to let people know about us, but for now, we have to keep it a secret."

"Okay."

Harry looked away when Draco kissed her.

"Ginny?" came Hermione's voice from upstairs. "Can you help me, please? I can't carry everything."

When Ginny left, Harry was left alone. He had just witnessed something very private, and he was the only person who knew about it. He felt horrible for eavesdropping and following them, but he wasn't thinking when he did. He opened the portrait and slipped through, closing it without a sound behind him. To say he was shocked at the day's events was an understatement.

* * *

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I know it was long, but I hope you enjoyed it. I hope that explains where Draco's scars came from. Please review! I'd love to know what you think!


	36. John Arthur Weasley

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything that isn't mine. Just my characters and my plot.**

**I'm so glad you liked the last chapter. I got so many reviews! However, there is something I thought of after I already posted the chapter and was driving…so of course I couldn't write it down. But I remembered it! I'm going to add it to this chapter as a "refresher" from last chapter, but it's something Harry thinks after he leaves the Head Students' dormitory.**

**I truly apologize for the long wait, and that this chapter isn't very long. I didn't realize how much work I'd have to do for my summer classes, and how little free time I had. I really will try to get more chapters out. Please, by all means, if any of you have ideas, send them to me! They are greatly appreciated!**

**

* * *

-

* * *

**You are

The only one that needs to know

I'll keep you my dirty little secret

Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret

* * *

-

* * *

'_Don't worry, Ginny. Your secret is safe with me.'_

* * *

Ginny ran into the Great Hall on Tuesday of the next week, excited and waving a letter in her hands. She quickly looked to see where her brothers were sitting – at the Slytherin Table – and ran over to them.

"They had the baby! Last night! _They had the baby_!!!"

"Who had what baby?" Pansy asked, confused.

"Fleur or Sonia?" Fred and George asked.

"Charlie and Sonia! It's a boy!"

The twins and Ron, a rare but not uncommon sight at the Slytherin table, erupted into cheers.

"Our first nephew, Gred!"

"Oh Forge, what fun we'll have with him!"

"Instructing him in our mischievous ways."

"And teaching him the business!"

"OH no you don't! You aren't corrupting my first nephew!" Ginny shouted, but smiled nonetheless. She was so happy, she was grinning from ear to ear. Draco smiled, too; he loved seeing her like this.

"What's his name?" Aurora asked excitedly.

"John," Ginny answered. "John Arthur Weasley."

"They named him after dad, huh?" Ron mused.

"It has a nice ring to it," said Fred. George nodded.

"Wait, why didn't we get letters?" George asked.

"Well, there's your answer," said Ginny, pointing to three owls that had just landed in front of George, Fred, and Ron.

"Ah, it seems that our dear old mum hasn't forgotten about us, Forge."

"What's today, Gred? January thirty-first?" Fred nodded, as he had stuffed cereal into his mouth. George continued. "But it says here that Sonia went into labor yesterday. Why weren't we told when it was happening? I would have liked to have been there when John was born."

"It was a long labor, George," Ginny explained, "and we were in classes. It started yesterday afternoon and went throughout the night. He was born at seven am this morning. Mum and dad didn't want to bother us and cause us to not pay attention in class by telling us yesterday. Don't give me that look, you know none of us would have. However, since our classes end fairly early on Tuesdays, we can go to St. Mungo's to see them later."

"So, the first of the next generation brood. I wonder how the little one is going to take the pressure," said Draco, smirking.

"Oh he won't be alone," Ginny assured. "Bill and Fleur are due around the same time. Theirs should come any day, now, and they know it's a boy."

"Dear G-d, they're already multiplying. Quick! To the bomb shelter!"

Ginny threw a napkin at him and he broke out in laughter as it floated harmlessly down in front of him.

"Nice throw, Weaslette."

"You couldn't do any better, Ferret."

"Is that a challenge?"

She knew the look she saw in his eyes, and grinned.

"You bet it is."

"The sexual tension between you two is unbelievable," Hermione said, chuckling and shaking her head. She was only joking but, had she known how right she was, she might not have said anything at all.

"Oi!" came the outraged cries of three Weasleys and Draco, a snort from Pansy, laughter from Blaise, and reddened faces of everyone else, especially Harry.

"Are you out of your bloody _mind_?" Ginny asked incredulously – she was a great actor, Draco thought.

"Oh come on, Ginny! I was joking! You Weasley men are stupidly protective, you know that?" she added.

"Uh, Ginny," Pansy asked, trying to get her friend's attention.

"Yes?"

"Could I…I know I'm not part of your family, but…could I come with you when you visit your brother and his wife in the hospital? It'sokayifyousayno," she said quickly. However, quite the opposite of what Pansy had imagined what Ginny's reaction would be, the redhead beamed.

"That's a great idea! You and Blaise should come, I'll ask Charlie after we finish eating."

"Are you sure?" Blaise asked.

"Oh of course. You're both practically part of the family, already. Mum likes to adopt…and once she's latched onto you, you can't break free." Harry and Hermione nodded their heads and laughed. "Draco, Aurora, do you want to come, too?" she asked after Trinity and Amanda said they had work to do.

"Oh, I wouldn't want to intrude. You're a huge group as it is; I don't want your brother and his wife to feel crowded, especially after what they just went through," Aurora replied. "And I, too, have loads of work."

"Well I'll ask them. If they'll feel crowded, they'll tell me, so think about it."

* * *

-

* * *

Later that day, after Charlie's letter and the end of the last class, the group, including Draco (Aurora declined), went to Dumbledore to talk to him about visiting St. Mungo's. After he amicably led them to the hospital, they found their way to Charlie and Sonia's room. Molly and Arthur had left by the time they got there.

"Oh Ginny!" Sonia said from the bed. She was holding John. "Hello, everyone. Thank you for coming. I hope we didn't interrupt your day. John certainly interrupted ours, yesterday!" she let out a chuckle. Ginny walked up to the bed after hugging Charlie. Draco noticed an instant change in her demeanor. Gone was the fiery, hot-tempered redhead. In its place was someone who glowed when she looked at the baby. The side of Ginny that very few get to see; someone who would make a wonderful mother, someday. Draco allowed himself to smile.

"Can I hold him?" Ginny asked timidly.

"Of course." Sonia carefully handed baby John to Ginny, who then looked up at the group of her friends and brothers with wide, excited eyes. She sat down on a chair and beamed at John.

"Hi, John," she said. "You're my first nephew. You have a big name to live up to – mischievous Weasleys and a champion seeker/dragon keeper father." Charlie smiled. "As well as five equally crazy uncles. And me."

Draco felt something in his heart that he had never felt for Ginny before, or any other girl. When he looked at her holding the newborn, he imagined his son in her arms instead of her brother's, and he knew that he could never let her go. He knew now that he was truly in love with her.

She handed John to George, who was closest to her. His reaction was almost equal to Ginny's.

"You'll make a great father, Forge."

"Aw, thanks, Gred. You too!"

They grinned at each other and everyone else in the room rolled their eyes. When John was in Ron's arms, he started fussing, so Ron gave him to Charlie, who gently bounced him a bit and sat on the foot of the bed.

"We should get going," Harry said. Hermione nodded.

"Alright. Thanks again for coming!" Sonia said.

* * *

-

* * *

Later that day, sometime after dinner, as Ginny headed towards Gryffindor, she changed routes once she was sure no one saw her. She then made her way to the Head Students' dorm. Draco had slipped her a note that told her to meet him there at eight o'clock; it was seven fifty. When she walked through the two password-protected portraits and walked up the stairs to Draco's room, she stopped short. It was not unlike what he did for her on Halloween; the room was decorated with roses and lit by candles, and he was sitting at his desk with nothing on but black satin pajama pants.

He turned to look at her, and smiled.

"Hello."

"Hi," she said breathlessly. "What's all this about?"

"Well I wanted a change. I've been feeling that our little rendezvous have been a bit too…casual. Plus, you're a special girl. Why shouldn't I pamper my girlfriend?" He had been aware that he never once called her his girlfriend, and he knew she didn't feel quite alright with that.

Ginny's breath caught in her throat. _'Girlfriend?'_

"Girl…friend?"

He stood and made his way towards her. He loosely dragged his right hand through her loose red hair and breathed on her neck.

"Yeah…well, you are, sort of, aren't you?" His face softened from the smirk he had, and placed his forehead on hers. "I know I've never said that before, but I feel it. I've felt it for a while. I'm sorry it took me so long to be comfortable with it, and I've waited long enough to realize you're not going anywhere. You see, I'd never had a real girlfriend before. A long term, real relationship, I mean. I'd like to try it out, if you're willing."

"Oh Draco, of course I am. I've wanted that for months, now."

"Why did you never say anything?"

"I didn't want to scare you away…"

"You couldn't scare me away, no matter how hard you tried."

"I'll never try."

He kissed her. Passionately. They wrapped their bodies around each other once they were unclothed and fell to the bed. Draco nearly forgot the contraception charm but Ginny reminded him, after which he performed it and nearly threw his wand to the floor. He wanted to be gentle with her, for this was unlike any other normal 'meeting.' He wanted her to remember this clearly, and wanted her to know how much he loved her without ever saying it.

She handled him for a little while; gods, what hands she had, he thought. Then he gently pushed her shoulders back to the bed and pushed into her slowly, at first. She met him stroke for stroke until they both finished and lay breathlessly on the bed. When Draco rolled over onto his back, she rolled half onto him so that her head was resting on his right shoulder.

"I'm not hurting you, am I?" He shook his head. "I know they haven't fully healed, yet."

"They're as healed as cursed wounds can heal with magic."

He wanted to tell her that he loved her, but he couldn't – not yet. It was still too soon, and they had just officially become a couple. He stroked her hair a couple of times, then whispered to her.

"You're so beautiful."

She blushed, but he couldn't see it.

"Thank you."

"You are. You're the most beautiful girl – woman, that I've ever met, Ginny." He rolled over on his right side to face her. His grey eyes were soft and loving, and she could feel the love radiating from his heart. She just hoped she wasn't wrong. "Please don't leave me. Stay with me."

"I'm not going anywhere, Draco."

"Forever?"

"Forever."

Draco made sure he kissed every inch of her body that night.

* * *

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**Again, I'm sorry it was short, but there was some Draco/Ginny for you. My summer classes are…time consuming, to say the least. I have to be in the photo lab and dark room for a while to finish up my photographs and homework. However, photography and painting both end on June 24th, so I will have more time, then!**


	37. A Surprising Quidditch Victory

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret

(Just another regret)

I'll keep you my dirty little secret

(Dirty little secret)

* * *

"Ginny Weasley has the quaffle! She's shooting towards the Slytherin goals…come on, Ginny…she SHOOTS…SHE SCORES! Twenty-ten, Gryffindor!"

Ginny shot her fist into the air and slapped Aurora's hand on her way back to the middle of the field. Harry whooped from his perch near Draco above the field and to the right. Draco hadn't scowled; his eyes were busy looking for the snitch, and, besides – he was above that, now. He also respected Harry a great deal, though he would never admit it. He glanced over at the black haired boy, who had gone back to scanning the field for the tiny golden ball. By this time, Ginny had scored again and Trinity had gotten the quaffle through the middle hoop.

Draco sighed and shook his head. "Come on…get some goals…what the hell was my speech for, then?"

But Harry heard him, and chuckled. "Long speech?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "It doesn't matter how long it was, they obviously weren't listening."

Pansy smiled where she sat with a few of the DA members, watching the two seekers. Maybe Harry and Draco would become friends, after all.

"Zabini to O'Brian, to – OH! AURORA STEALS THE QUAFFLE AS IT'S PASSED TO ZACK LANGLEY!"

Draco gritted his teeth, made a fist, and shook it while staring intensely at his sister. "Stupid girl…making Gryffindor…what the hell that hat was thinking, I'll never know…"

Harry tried his hardest to not laugh, and managed to get out a snort. Draco glared at him.

"ANOTHER STEAL! Zabini steals the quaffle from his little sister-figure! How do they deal with that? What a GAME!"

Draco watched in interest while keeping an eye on the field for the snitch.

"So they _were_ listening," he mused while watching his chasers form something he had taught them, and soar across the field.

Blaise, with the quaffle, shot under everyone. Just as he saw Mason do the same thing, he passed to the younger boy then shot up through and above the players, then over to the right. While he did this, Mason flew up and to the left, passing to Zack who flew up then dove under to pass back to Mason. Mason shot above and passed to Blaise, who then scored on Andrew McGuinness – Ron was sitting with Pansy and Hermione, sporting a sprained left wrist after performing a spectacular save in practice yesterday and nearly falling off his broom.

"Huh?" Harry asked.

"My chasers listened to what I had to say. So why isn't Weasley playing?"

Harry chose not to point out that Malfoy hadn't called Ron 'Weasel.' "Wrist injury. Couldn't be healed in time for the game."

Blaise, Mason, and Zack scored again on McGuinness, who was getting miffed but keeping his cool. He saved the middle hoop from the Slytherins' second try and chucked the quaffle at Trinity. The girls then went into a formation they came up with on their own that resulted in most of the scores in the games they played.

"TRINITY HAWTHORNE SCORES ON CORBIN NOTT!"

Theo hit his thigh with his fist next to Pansy. He was a very recent addition to the D.A., which was why he was sitting with them.

"Don't worry, he's doing fine," she said, nudging his arm with her elbow. "You know he's good."

"Naturally. He _is_ my brother."

"You only admit that when he does well."

"Oh shut up."

"THE SCORE IS SIXTY-THIRTY! Will Gryffindor win? Or will Slytherin win? Bets are being taken by –"

"Stick to commentating, Jordan!"

"Yes, professor. WHOA!"

The two formations clashed and the chasers crashed into each other, causing a few of them to nearly fall off their brooms and the quaffle to be thrown high into the air. As much as her left arm hurt, Ginny wasn't about to let it get away so she shot out from the group, scattering it.

They didn't realize what she was doing until she was too far away for the Slytherin chasers to tackle her for it, but it didn't stop them from chasing after her. She was headed for the area where Draco and Harry were, and they watched her with interest.

"Come on…come on…come on…" Harry said under his breath, his heart racing as fast as Ginny. Half of Draco wanted her to catch it, but half of him didn't.

The crowd was going wild, and it was egging Ginny on. Just as Harry was chanting under his breath, she was doing the same. The quaffle was slowing and beginning to fall, so she threw caution to the wind, grasped her broom with her knees, and let go. She lunged for the quaffle and hugged it to her chest. The crowd below her gasped, mostly Gryffindor, then cheered, along with her friends from the other houses.

"YEAH!" Harry shouted.

As she was falling, she shifted the ball to her right arm and took hold of her broom to pull herself up. She took a chance to look back at Draco and Harry, the former which had on an infuriated expression.

"Wipe that cheeky smirk off your face, we're still going to win!" Draco shouted as she sped away from them.

"In your DREAMS, Ice King!" she shouted back. Draco looked affronted and she laughed all the way to the Slytherin goals, after which she scored for Gryffindor – again. Just as he was about to retort even though she wouldn't hear him, he nearly fell backwards off his broom as the snitch shot past his face. He and Harry were tailing it not a full second after.

"It's now one-hundred and twenty to one-hundred, ladies and gents! Gryffindor in the lead – THE SEEKERS SEE THE SNITCH! GO, HARRY! GO!"

Draco was more determined now than ever. He proved to himself over Christmas break that he could catch the snitch when pitched against Potter, so he could do it again. The two were neck and neck, but the snitch was giving them a very hard time.

"Stupid little insufferable piece of – UGH!" Before Draco could finish his tirade, the snitch shot up. It then went down, then to their left, and up again.

"WHY IS IT DOING THAT?" Harry shouted, clearly just as frustrated as Draco.

"Sometimes, it stays smooth and easy. Sometimes, it's a little fuck."

"…"

"It's good for flying skills though, I guess..."

They were going faster than either of them thought they had ever gone before, as both were determined to win this game. It wasn't long before Draco's heart and determination won out and gave him the extra boost to grab the snitch before Harry. However, that extra boost was what caused Draco to fall off his broom.

He wasn't sure he caught it until he was hanging from his ankles, and the wings of the little ball were flapping in his left hand.

His eyes widened. '_I caught it…I…caught it! Holy SHIT!'_ He held it out for everyone to see and shouted. Slytherin erupted. _They won a game against Gryffindor_.

His teammates flew as fast as they could to their captain, but not before Ginny grabbed his hand and flew up to get Draco back on his broom. "Nice catch."

Draco turned to see Ginny with a scowl on her face. He was too shocked, however, to smirk.

"Thanks," he said sincerely.

She sighed and smiled. "You guys deserve it, I guess. Nice job, Harry."

"Uh, yeah." As she flew away to join her team, Harry followed after saying, "Nice job, Malfoy."

Pansy was going _nuts_. When she saw Blaise safely on the ground, she pulled out her wand and said, "_Accio_ Blaise's broom," and it flew out of his hands to her. She jumped on it from the stands and raced to the field.

"Leave it," Draco told Blaise when he saw what his pregnant girlfriend was doing. "She'll just get angry."

When she touched down, she ran towards Blaise and practically flew into his arms. He was too happy to say anything about her being on a broom. He lifted her off the ground and spun her around, kissing her in front of the entire school. Draco, and Harry, who was with his team, smiled. Draco was quickly jumped by Pansy, too, who threw her arms around his neck in a quick hug.

"You were WONDERFUL! I can't believe we won! Draco, _we beat Gryffindor_!"

"I know!"

Ginny's heart warmed at Draco's brilliant face. It was lit with the most genuine of smiles, and he didn't care that the whole school was seeing it.

She turned and walked back to the women's changing rooms, a soft smile on her face.

* * *

"Now that you are all here, would you be so kind as to tell me why you need to speak with me?" The red eyes and tone of voice clearly stated that Voldemort wasn't asking.

"My lord," Pansy began, "Draco, Blaise, and I have been trying to get into the Gryffindors' good graces since the start of the year. I sincerely apologize for not seeking your advice sooner, but we thought that if we were able to make the Gryffindors – mainly Potter, Granger, Weasley, and his sister as well as Draco's sister – view us as friends, they would be easier targets. The Weasley twins were an added bonus."

Voldemort nodded in interest.

"However," Blaise cut in, "something happened that we were _not_ expecting." Voldemort raised what would have been his eyebrows. "Pansy is pregnant."

"Pregnant?" Voldemort asked.

"Yes…" Pansy said timidly. She looked down at the floor. Draco took her hand in his and gave her a reassuring smile to make Voldemort think that Draco was the father. Anolani, Pansy's mother, huffed but kept her mouth shut due to the heated glare Voldemort shot at her.

"We have been able to work this into our plans, though," said Draco, "which is what we wanted to speak with you about. The baby is mine, but because most of the school thinks I am evil, we are going to tell them that Blaise is the father. Everyone but the Slytherins. The rest of the school already thinks that Pansy and Blaise are in a relationship, and we sealed that deal earlier today. Blaise kissed Pansy when Slytherin won in quidditch against Gryffindor."

"Really? Slytherin won? Well it's about time. Nevertheless, I care not about quidditch. This plan of yours…seems…"

"I told them it was stupid!" said Anolani. "I told them not to do it but they, of course, went along and did it anyway. I thought you might not like –"

"SILENCE, Anolani." Pansy's mother shut her mouth in surprise, and looked affronted. "Your name may mean 'of royal character,' but not in _my_ services. You may not interrupt me." Anolani had the grace to be quiet. "Now, as I was saying…your plan…is quite genius." The three let out a breath they didn't know they were holding. "I want you to continue with this plan. Do the Slytherins know that Draco is the father?"

"They will, my lord," said Pansy.

"Good. Very good. I am pleased. What a pleasant surprise this is. When I attack at the end of the year, you three will lead your 'friends' to their deaths. Will you have had the baby by then, Pansy?"

"I am due at the end of June, my lord, so I might not be fully recovered by then."

"Very well. If you are not, you will still help but be kept out of harm's way. This is good…this baby is a way for you to seek their true friendship, especially of the girls. Girls love babies. Draco's traitorous sister, the mudblood, and the Weasley girl would love to pamper you. Oh I am _very_ pleased."

* * *

"AH!"

"Harry, what is it?" Hermione asked; they were in the library and Harry was clutching his head.

"Is it your scar?" asked Ron hurriedly.

"Yeah…Voldemort's happy. Really happy."

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed that. I'll be getting more up soon! Again, I would love ideas. Please, if you have any, send them my way. I've been grasping at straws, lately. I know where this story is going, but I need to build up to that point. I'm almost there, but I don't want to rush it. So, any ideas at all are greatly appreciated!**


	38. Secret is Out

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Just this storyline.

This is hilarious – absolutely hysterically funny. Search for A Very Potter Musical on and watch them all up to Act 2 part 9 I believe…there may be more. This is one o the funniest things I've ever seen, and I've already asked for the rights and script to perform this at my college.

Enjoy!

* * *

-

* * *

Just another regret

I hope that you can keep it, my dirty little secret

Who has to know?

The way she feels inside

* * *

-

* * *

"Hey Ginny! Come party with us in the ROR tonight, okay? Nine!" Pansy said as she practically ran past the redhead in the hallway outside of the Great Hall. She, Blaise, and Draco had just gotten back from Voldemort's hiding place in time for dinner. Ginny shook her fist at Pansy's back.

"I'm not celebrating Slytherin's victory!!!"

"Then celebrate your amazing catch today!" said Blaise, also running past her; it was after dinner and apparently, they were off to get ready. She shook her head and laughed. Even though Slytherin beat her beloved team, many of them were her friends and she could not be angry. She trudged up to Gryffindor Tower and slipped inside.

* * *

-

* * *

Almost every Slytherin face was looking up at Pansy, Blaise, and Draco.

"We called you here to tell you something serious that you all should know about," Pansy started. "Not all of you are here; only the ones we know we can trust. I put up wards around Slytherin so that if someone needs to come back here, they suddenly remember another engagement. As you all know, Draco and I are to marry when we graduate. We have been working on befriending Potter and his lackeys so that we could get into their good graces and become spies for our lord. However, something came up and, well…we were thrown into a predicament. I…am…going to have a baby, and it is Draco's." There came a gasp from almost everyone in the common room. "But we will continue with our plan!" she said quickly. "We have spoken with the Dark Lord and he approves."

"Although the baby is Draco's and Pansy's," Blaise began, "since Pansy and I have been pretending to date and the rest of the school thinks we are a couple, we will let everyone else think that I am the father."

"Why not just say Malfoy is?" asked Lionel Bennet, a seventh year.

"Because Potter and his group trust me more than Draco," Blaise answered. "Well, all but Granger – she has a soft spot for Draco."

"Merlin only knows why," Draco sneered. "I hate having that stupid mudblood constantly hanging around me."

"Yeah, it is disgusting. Anyway, I have never been cruel to them as Draco has, and I have always kept to the background."

"So…you're pregnant? You're not lying?" Daphne Greengrass asked Pansy skeptically.

"Of course I'm not lying. Would you like to follow me to the hospital wing? I assure you, Madam Pomfrey can tell you the stats of my baby if I ask her to."

Daphne wisely shut her mouth but a wicked grin spread out on her face and Pansy knew that this was the way to get the school to know about her 'condition.'

"Anyway," said Draco, "that is all. Our orders were to tell the Slytherins who matter, and we have fulfilled that." He took Pansy's hand to reassure them of their 'relationship' and glanced at her for a second. "You are dismissed."

The large crowd dispersed and when they were gone, Pansy thought she was the only one left in the common room. Draco and Blaise had gone to Blaise's room but Pansy wanted to get out of Slytherin for a while. As she headed to the portrait hole, someone stopped her with a quiet voice.

"It isn't Draco's, really, is it?"

Pansy turned sadly to face Anne and shook her head.

"No," she said softly with remorse written in her eyes. She knew she could trust Anne with this information, as she was in the D.A. and definitely against Voldemort's reign. Anne smiled gently with a sad expression and turned to go.

"Just take care of him, yeah? He's one of a kind."

Pansy stared confused at Anne's back as the other girl disappeared down one of the corridors heading out of the circular common room. She sighed.

"I will," she whispered to no one.

* * *

-

* * *

When Ginny entered the Gryffindor common room from the stairs to the girls' dormitories, she was wearing casual jeans with black and white converses and a white tank top. Aurora followed her out, as she was going to the party, too.

"Still feelin' down?" the blonde asked. Her hair was pulled into low pigtails that fell over her shoulders and she was wearing denim shorts, black flip flops, and a red top with spaghetti straps. They both had their robes on, as it was cold in the castle, and cast warming charms on themselves.

"Eh…a little, but they deserve it."

Aurora smiled.

"We're equally matched, now, you know. Slytherin and Gryffindor."

"Yeah, now, but up until this year, Slytherin wasn't as good."

"Oh believe me, I know. I heard all about Draco's frustrations."

They chuckled and left the common room, bumping into Harry on the way.

"Hi love," he said, kissing Aurora. Ginny smiled and her heart warmed; she loved seeing Harry so happy.

"Hi," Aurora said breathlessly. No matter how many times Harry kissed her, she always felt the same after. She never got used to it, nor would she ever, which was how it should be.

"Where are you two off to, dressed up nicely like that?"

"We're going to the room of requirement," Ginny said. "The Slytherins are throwing a celebration…" She cut off her sentence at the look on Harry's face.

"You're going to _their_ party?" he asked quietly.

"Harry, they invited me," she said calmly, "and Rora is their star player's sister. I know it's not 'just a game' but you can't let that get in the way of your friendships. Come with us."

"I don't really want to –"

"Come," Ginny said, more forceful this time. "You need to have fun after the loss we had." She took his hand and led him all the way to the room of requirement, which was laid out the same way it was for the Halloween party. They entered through the first room where they were checked, hung their robes, and let in. Through the second door was the party. Harry was quite surprised to find quite a few people from the other houses, including Hermione, Fred, and George. When asked what they were doing there, Fred and George responded with grins.

"So it's a Slytherin victory. Who cares?" – Fred.

"It's just another excuse for a party!" – George.

Harry shook his head and actually smiled. He had been feeling very badly about Gryffindor's loss, but took the twins' and Ginny's words to heart – he would have fun. He spotted Pansy about to sit at a table with Blaise and walked over; they had just finished dancing and were taking a break.

"Oh hi, Harry!" Pansy said happily. "Hey, look, I'm sorry about your loss…but I can't say I'm not happy!"

"It's alright," Harry said. "Ginny made a good point earlier – I shouldn't let quidditch get in the way of my friends."

"She's right," Blaise replied. "Smart girl, that GW."

Pansy snorted. That was one of the things she loved about Blaise; his spontaneity and goofy nicknames for people.

"So…about that kiss?" Harry began. Pansy and Blaise glanced at each other, then back at Harry. "I thought it was going to be kept on the low. Not that I care."

"Well…it just kinda happened," said Blaise. "I was so happy. No offense, of course."

"Oh stop it. You're happy, I get it. I understand. Don't apologize every time you mention it," said Harry, grinning. "I know how it feels. Besides; we've beaten you _many_ times."

Blaise and Pansy smirked at him.

"Don't let it get to your head, Potter. We'll start beating your lot, just you wait and see."

"Oh I'm not worried, Zabini. Not at all. Especially not with Ron and three of the best chasers in the history of Hogwarts on my team."

Blaise and Pansy scoffed, and Pansy playfully shoved Harry, who rubbed his shoulder and laughed. He felt very light-hearted; he was really glad that he could joke around with these two like this and not have anyone get angry or annoyed. It was all in good fun. He did notice a few other people at the table staring at the three like they were mad; Slytherins and a Gryffindor – the most famous one in the school, at that – conversing like friends and laughing together. But he didn't care.

"Oh by the way, we told the Slytherins," Blaise said as quietly as he could to Harry. "About you know what."

"So you passed it by Voldemort?" Blaise and Pansy nodded.

"Right before dinner."

"_That's_ why he was so happy…" The two Slytherins looked confused. "After the game, I was in the library with Ginny, Ron, and Hermione and my scar seared – then I felt that he was really happy about something."

"Yeah, that would be it. That's when we told him." Blaise stood and turned to face Pansy. "Do you want anything? I'm going up to the bar. Po-Harry?"

"No thank you," Harry said, smiling. Blaise was really trying. He knew how hard it was to call someone by a different name than what they had been using for a long time.

"Oh, sure, thank you, Blaise. I'd really like some margarita mix with crushed ice. But make sure Theo doesn't put alcohol in it!!!" Pansy said, pointing at him.

Blaise gave her a knowing look.

"Do you really think I'd let him? I'm way ahead of you, Pans."

She smiled at him and placed a protective hand on her stomach without realizing it. Harry smiled, too. He also noticed that the fifth year Ravenclaw girl sitting near Pansy was looking at her with a funny face. Apparently, the Ravenclaw was invited by her friend.

Aurora came to pull Harry up to dance, so Pansy was left alone. The girl scooted over to her.

"Forgive me, but…is it true you're pregnant?" Pansy's eyes widened. "It's just that I overheard it from someone, and now I see you're not drinking alcohol when you always have at least one drink at every party…"

Well, that was one way to get it out. Pansy silently thanked Daphne Greengrass – the one and only time she would ever do so. She didn't want to have to tell people herself, and, little did Daphne know, the redhead was doing Pansy's and Blaise's dirty work.

"Yes, it's true."

* * *

-

* * *

"Havin' fun?" Ginny asked Harry when she walked up to him later that night. It was around eleven o'clock, and she needed a distraction. Draco had been giving her seductive looks for the past two hours, and it was driving her up the wall.

"Yeah, actually."

"Oh good!"

"I'm glad you made me come," he said, grinning.

"Well hey, people always thank me for meddling," she said jokingly. Harry smiled.

"They should." Ginny looked surprised. "Especially Blaise and Pansy. Look at what happened for them because you meddled."

"Oh, yeah, they should _really_ thank me for knocking them up."

"You know what I mean. Look at how happy they are."

Ginny looked over at them and her heart warmed. Blaise and Pansy were dancing to a slow song, holding each other tenderly and staring into the other's eyes. Both were smiling.

"That wasn't me. They just needed a little push."

"No, Ginny, it _was_. Without you, they would have gone through life never taking the chance to be with each other."

"Oh, Harry." She smiled. "Anyway, what's today's date?"

"March seventh."

"Oh! It's two days past Bill and Fleur's baby's due date! Shit, and a week before Pansy's birthday. We gotta plan something. I wonder if Draco and Blaise have anything planned already…I have to ask them."

"When's her birthday?"

"March fifteenth."

Ginny looked at Harry strangely; he looked funny – as if he was trying to stop himself from laughing. He covered his mouth with his hand, then; Draco was making funny faces behind her but as she turned around, he immediately stopped and looked serious.

"What?"

"You dunderhead! I saw that!"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Red."

Ginny lightly smacked his arm and he laughed as he scooted away from her. Harry couldn't help it; he smiled at them. They may or may not have realized it, but they were clearly in love with each other, and that thought scared Harry. Not because of their feelings for each other, but because it didn't bother him at all.

"So, you heard me, then! What are we doing for Pansy's birthday?" Ginny finally asked.

"I was thinking a personal party, where only friends are invited as opposed to something like this or the Halloween one. You should ask Blaise what he's getting for her. I think you'd really like it." He smirked. "More like swoon until you toppled over like the hopeless romantic you are."

She hit him again and he jumped just out of her reach. Harry shook his head.

"You're impossible! I do not do that! Get BACK here!"

"No hard feelings, yeah Potter?" he said as he danced out of Ginny's grabbing hands.

Harry knew he was talking about the quidditch match, and he found that he couldn't really be angry with Malfoy anymore. He shook his head as the blonde and Ginny dove out of sight into the crowd. He had been testing himself by thinking of the foul things the blonde used to do to him and his friends, but they no longer incensed him. Also, the fact that Malfoy said 'no hard feelings,' no matter how casually, meant a lot to Harry.

* * *

-

* * *

"OW!"

"Are you alright?"

Anne nodded while holding her finger in her mouth; she had just been pricked by the plant their herbology class was working on. It was the next day, Friday morning, and already, news was getting around about Pansy's pregnancy. Neville took her hand from her mouth and brought it towards him to look at it. He took out his wand and cast a minor healing charm on it and it healed right up.

"Does it still sting?" he asked. She shrugged.

"A little, yeah...but it's much better. Thank you, Neville."

Neville smiled.

"It should sting a bit. Even the most powerful healing charm won't fully heal a sting from the thorns of the mirror rosebush."

"Oh, yes! Very good, Longbottom! Ten points for Gryffindor! And another ten for healing her finger, I suppose," said Professor Sprout. "Well I was going to tell you lot what these plants are, but Longbottom already has. They are mirror rosebushes. Can anyone tell me why they are called mirrors?" Neville raised his hand before Hermione's went up. "Yes, Longbottom?"

"They aren't really rosebushes," he responded. "They only look like roses because they needed to develop a way for them to catch food easily; are carnivorous. They love bees. However, because they look like roses, animals that eat rosebushes will try to eat them so they developed stinging cells on their leaves and thorns. And, uh, Professor? Do you have the cream for Anne's finger?"

"Very good! Twenty points to Gryffindor and yes, I'll get it. I'll be back in a moment. Do not touch the plants, class, unless you have on your gloves." She then bustled over to the closet at the back of the main greenhouse.

"I feel like an idiot," Anne mumbled. "I shouldn't have touched it."

"You're not an idiot," Neville countered. "I was going to warn you but you touched it before I could. Anyway, I saw many of the others about to touch them when Professor Sprout walked in."

Anne smiled.

* * *

-

* * *

"They're getting along quite well, don't you think?" Pansy asked Blaise. They were sitting on the other side of the table.

"Huh? Who?"

"Anne and Neville. They always work together in the D.A., too."

"Oh, yeah. I'm glad. Maybe they'll get hitched, or something."

"Well I rather hitched than 'or something.' I really do hope he can gather up the courage he's supposed to have – being in Gryffindor, you'd think he'd have it – and ask her out," she said in a low voice.

"Do you think we should give it a push?" Blaise asked her.

"No…maybe I can say a word or two about how nice Neville is and how lonely he looks, but no, no pushes. I think they both need to do this slowly. Especially Anne."

"Yeah…" Blaise looked really down, so Pansy placed her hand on his.

"Hey," she said gently, "she looks happy."

This got the reaction Pansy was hoping for – a smile from him.

"Thanks, Pans."

She squeezed his hand, then let go when Professor Sprout walked back up to the front of the room to give Anne the salve.

* * *

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* * *

Sorry it took so long! I hope you enjoyed it! Ideas…I want them…


	39. Whispers

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Just this story line and the characters I made up.

A huge thanks to Harlequine-girl for motivating me! And giving me great crit and advice!

* * *

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* * *

Who has to know?

The way she feels inside

Those thoughts I can't deny

These sleeping dogs won't lie

* * *

-

* * *

Pansy knew she would have to endure harsh whispers and stares, and she tried to prepare herself mentally as best she could. But when she walked through the halls the next day, with her head held high, she found that she really _wasn't_ prepared. It hit her like a ton of bricks. However, she kept reminding herself of the things Mrs. Weasley told her, and she put a smile on her face.

'_Just get through today and you'll be ready for tomorrow,_'she thought. Whenever her friends saw her, they made a huge fuss about the baby and about how excited they were for her, making sure that everyone around them heard. Pansy's heart warmed every time they did that for her. It certainly shut people up, and when it did, she smirked at them, showing them that their whispers did not bother her.

Honestly, it wasn't the whispers that got to her. It was the attention she was receiving. Unlike the other Slytherins, she did not like attention. The words shot at her such as whore, slut, disgusting, and the phrases like how irresponsible, what an irresponsible person, she defile's the Slytherin name (even though that one was supposed to be uttered by the Slytherins under Voldemort's orders), etc. were not as hurtful as she thought they would be because she knew that they weren't true about her. She was just floored at how many people could be so cruel and nosy. Granted, there _were_ a lot who just didn't care.

By dinner, she had built a wall around herself that made her stronger against the harshness of the people around her. She sat down at the Slytherin table and smiled when the Gryffindor group came over, bringing their bags and food with them. Ginny plopped down next to her and Blaise was saved the seat on the other side. He arrived a few minutes later.

"Man Harry, I apologize for ever making fun of your fame and love of attention," Pansy said.

Harry laughed. "You'll get used to it. It'll go away after a while."

"After they realize it doesn't bother you," Ginny added. "It doesn't…right?"

"Eh, not really. It was annoying at first only because I wasn't prepared for the amount of people that would say things about me."

"It's because it's the newest news," Aurora pointed out. "They love that. Whatever gossip is the newest, they gobble up like candy."

"Isn't it odd?" Harry asked. Pansy looked at him. "Just how many people care about someone's business."

"I heard you punched out a bloke for calling her something, Zabini," Ron said. "'s that true?"

Pansy looked at Blaise in horror as he shrunk in his seat. "Way to run your mouth, Weasley," he grumbled. Ron had an apologetic look on his face.

"Blaise! Why would you do that?" Pansy asked.

"He called you a whore. No one calls you anything and gets away with it."

Pansy's eyes softened and she placed a hand on his to show that she found his actions thoughtful. "Everyone's been calling me that, plus other things. You can't go around beating up every person that says something awful about me. You'll break your hands trying." She gave him a small smile, which he returned. "There are too many. Besides, they don't matter to me. It's what we know to be true that does."

"Yeah, well. He still ran his mouth off about you. And the baby…"

Pansy blushed and smiled at him. "I think it's sweet. Just don't do it again. It's only February. Please don't get into trouble."

"I can't make that promise…"

"Make me this one, then. Don't be in detention when I need you."

Blaise sulked. "Fine."

The table laughed and joked throughout the meal, and Pansy glared whenever someone stared at them for too long. That sent them scurrying, and made her feel better. When she was done eating, Blaise took her into his arms. When he placed his hands protectively on her stomach, he gasped.

Pansy turned to look at him. "What is it?"

"You…you have a bump!"

Everyone's eyes widened and Pansy put her tentative hands on her stomach. She had not been paying much attention to it as of late because of her studies and everything else that was clouding her mind. But there it was; she felt it. She looked at Blaise with a mixture of surprise and delight.

"That tends to happen when someone's pregnant, you know," Draco said.

"There'll be no snark from you!" Blaise said, swatting his friend.

Ginny placed a hand on Pansy's stomach and her face lit up. They were grabbing a lot of attention, but for once, Pansy didn't care. Let them know how happy she and Blaise were. Ginny looked up and she and Draco shared a secret smile. The feeling of happiness in Ginny left as soon as she looked at him, though. It was replaced by an overwhelming sadness, and despair. She wanted _so_ badly to be able to sit in his lap, hold his hand, kiss him as Blaise just kissed Pansy, have his arms around her. Have his hands on her pregnant stomach…and the more she thought about it, the more she thought their relationship would never work out. She wanted to be public, and she realized, with devastating thoughts, that no matter what Draco has said about the future, their relationship actually might not work.

She got up with a lame excuse of running to the library and left, but Draco saw the tears beginning to form in her eyes and said he should go, too. He had things to do and homework to finish. He hurried out of the Great Hall to catch up with Ginny before she disappeared. Harry saw the whole thing, and a slight feeling of worry settled in his heart.

Draco spotted her turning a corner, and ran after her. "Ginny!" She turned and his heart gave a squeeze at the tears on her freckled cheeks. "Ginny, what's wrong?" She just hugged him and sobbed into his chest. He was shocked, and looked around them to make sure no one was looking. "Gin…we should go to my room. Someone could see…"

Ginny stopped sobbing and pushed herself away from him, but he caught her arms. "Ginny! What on Earth?"

"That's all you care about!" she whispered harshly, and struggled against his grip.

"What are you talking about?"

"Let me GO!"

"No. I will never let you go," he said, his voice full of meaning.

"You're going to have to if you can't deal with people knowing about us!"

Draco sighed in an annoyed manner. "Is that what this is about? You know we can't do that, yet. I've told you loads of times but it doesn't seem to get through to you."

"It DOES get through to me!" she shouted. Her voice cracked from the raw emotions running through her heart. "But this isn't just about YOU! It's about ME, too!"

Draco took her hand and started walking. "I am not having this conversation here, with you screaming like a banshee and attracting everyone to our private business." He led them to the head students' dorms and up to his room. She wrenched her hand out of his and backed away from him.

"Don't you DARE pin this on me! Don't you dare act like I'm the one at fault!" she shouted.

"I've told you hundreds of times that we can't be public! You can't deal with that? Then LEAVE! I don't want to be with someone who's willing to risk my life because she isn't happy with the situation!"

_You can go, you can start all over again  
You could try to find a way to make another day go by_

Ginny slid down against the wall and hugged her knees with her arms. She couldn't speak, she was sobbing so hard. And it broke Draco's heart. He had never seen her cry so hard. He grabbed the nearest thing to him and threw it against the wall, shattering it. It was a picture frame. He ran his hand through his hair and kept his back to her. If he saw her, he knew he'd go running back to her, begging forgiveness on his hands and knees.

_You can hide, hold all your feelings inside  
You could try to carry on when all you wanna do is cry_

She had a hard time of it, but she forced her words out through her crying.

"I can't b-believe you could say something like that after everything I've done for you, every time I've be-en there for you." she let out a sob and he almost looked at her. "It's so hard for me to do this because I don't want us to be secret, but don't act as if I am stupid and don't know the consequences if someone finds out! Merlin forbid I get upset after Pansy and Blaise's display at dinner!" She felt a little stronger. "You know what _**I**_ don't want? I don't want to be with someone who can't see and understand MY side of this! Maybe I _should_ leave."

Ginny stood and went to open the door, but he took her shoulders, spun her around, and wrapped his arms around her small body. She then noticed that he was crying, too.

_And maybe someday we'll figure all this out  
Try to put an end to all our doubt  
And try to find a way to make things better now  
_

"Don't leave me. Ginny please don't leave me. I'd die without you. I'd be nothing. I'm sorry. I _do_ know how hard it is to keep something like this a secret. But we _have_ to. Please stay with me, please do this. Just a little longer. I have a plan, but the Slytherins, Lucius, and Voldemort need to think I'm still on their side until the day of the battle in June. Please don't leave me, Ginny. Please wait just that much longer. It is so important for our survival, and your safety. It is about you. It always has been."

_Maybe someday we'll live our lives out loud  
We'll be better off somehow, someday_

She hugged him and buried her face in his chest. She started crying again. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "It's just so hard. Blaise and Pansy can do whatever they want in the open because Voldemort knows and likes your plan. I want _so much_ to be able to kiss and hold you without worrying about people seeing us. I would never want to risk your life. Just…sometimes, I don't think I can do this. I see Blaise and Pansy and it _hurts_."

Draco hugged her tighter, breathing in her scent. "I know. It hurts me, too."

_Now we wait and try to find another mistake  
If you throw it all away then maybe you could change your mind  
_

She looked up at him and he opened his eyes to look down at her. "It does?"

"Yeah."

He kissed her forehead, and then he kissed her beautiful mouth. He reached up and wiped away her tears with his thumbs. She immediately missed his warmth, but he pulled her to his bed. She joined him but turned so they were facing each other, and he pulled her closer to him, hugging her like she was his lifeline and he, hers.

_You can run, oh, and when everything is over and done  
You could shine a little light on everything around you  
Man, it's good to be someone_

"I meant what I said," he whispered. "Downstairs. I'm never letting you go."

She smiled into his chest and snuggled closer to him, wrapping her left arm around his waist and placing her hand on his back so she could pull him to her. It was as if they were both trying to get as close to the other as possible.

"Nor am I."

He tightened his hold on her and smiled, very much copying what she had just done.

_And maybe someday we'll figure all this out  
Try to put an end to all our doubt  
Try to find a way to make things better now _

After a while, his body shifted and he sighed.

"I'm sorry, Gin."

"For what?" she asked softly.

"For making you do something you hate. I want to give you everything and I can't do that, yet."

"I have you. That's all I want."

"No, you want to be open about us and I can't give that to you. Not until June. But I promise you, Ginny. I will. I'll give you that and everything else. In June."

_And maybe someday we'll live our lives out loud  
We'll be better off somehow, someday_

Ginny did not know what 'everything else' was, but she had an idea, and giddiness bubbled up inside her. "I want to give you everything, too."

He nuzzled her neck and breathed in the scent of her skin and hair. "You already have."

_And I don't wanna wait, I just wanna know  
I just wanna hear you tell me so  
Give it to me straight, tell it to me slow_

She pulled her face away from his chest and looked at him with a playful expression. "I haven't given you children, yet," she chanced. She wasn't sure how well that comment would go with him, but she wasn't disappointed.

He grinned. "No. We're too careful for that."

They laughed, and she brought her face back to his chest. An overwhelming feeling of love flowed through them, but neither knew the other felt it, too.

_'Cause maybe someday we'll figure all this out  
We'll put an end to all our doubt  
Try to find a way to just feel better now _

"I know this isn't ideal, Gin, but it will be. I promise you that. Eventually…I know I always use that word, but I do promise that someday, I will make you the happiest woman on Earth."

She grinned, though he couldn't see it. It nearly took up half of her face. "I know. I can only hope I do the same for you."

He began gently stroking her flaming hair that he had grown to love so much. "You already do."

Ginny snorted. "Listen to how sappy we sound. Blaise would never let us hear the end of it."

Draco laughed. A genuine, full, happy laugh. "I know, but I love it."

_And maybe someday we'll live our lives out loud  
We'll be better off somehow, someday_

His heart started beating what felt like a hundred miles per second. He almost said 'you' instead of 'it.' He snuggled against her for a while longer and they both fell asleep in each other's arms, all doubt in their minds vanquished.

_'Cause sometimes we don't really notice  
Just how good it can get  
So maybe we should start all over  
Start all over again

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_

I hope you liked it. I'm so so sorry it took me so long to get this out. I have more written, it's just been graduation and vacation and all that. But I do have another chapter coming! And I'm working on a new story that's a cross between Harry Potter and TrueBlood. It's another Draco/Ginny. It'll be called In the Dead of Night. Please review!


	40. Harry's Vision

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything, you know that. Except my characters and the storyline.

NOTE: Send me an e-mail at if you want pictures of the Slytherin dorm. I drew them because I know how confusing the description is.

This is a message based on a review I got for chapter 5 – If you don't like my story, that's fine. I recognize that it's not among the norm. There is ooc-ness, but I give an explanation for that. There is change, like what year the head girl and boy are in, Ginny's birthday, and other things like that, but I also give an explanation for that. I give explanations and reasons for every single change I make to the original Harry Potter books. I like to go into character development and character pasts. I like to give an explanation to the way each character is based on their past, what J.K. Rowling doesn't write about. So, in my mind, my characters are not ooc because I take them and elaborate based on a made up past and character development based on interactions between them and others.

Now, for review responses…

**Seatear:** Thank you for the comments. I'm so glad you like the twists. I like to try to keep my readers on their toes. :D Also, I wouldn't have been able to tell that English isn't your first language if you hadn't told me. It sounds like it is. Here's your update! **TimeBringsTruth:** : ) I'm glad you liked it and thank you! **Callidora-Malfoy: **I'm glad you liked it. I would never abandon this story. It's my favorite! :D It makes me happy that you like an OC so much. Haha you'll get your professing love scene, just not yet ;) **kitty00:** Sorry about the lack of a big comeback, but it wasn't really a comeback. It was just a long awaited update. Anyway, here it is! **blockhead77: **Thank you! **Silverblade11: **Sorry about the long wait for an update but I'm glad you liked the story when you re-read it haha. Here's your update. **JulieMalfoyZabini:** EEK! Here's another! Haha like I told Callidora-Malfoy, they will express their love just not yet. It'll come soon though, I promise! **Watchamacallit:** Haha they'll come out I really promise. I don't want to give anything away. I have it planned out already. Thanks for reviewing! **Amber-Jade-James: **Thank you! I'm glad you liked it! **sesshystepmom: **haha I'm glad you were excited. I hope you'll be as excited about this update as you were about the last one. **Nutmeg44: **I'm sorry you had to re-read the story. I've re-read it about ten times already lol and every single time, I find something to fix. The "coming out" is already planned, and I keep grinning when people tell me what they think will happen. :D **chromos-girl: **:) I know Snape seems ooc but for the role I needed him to play for Pansy in this story, he kind of had to be. I hope you still like him. He has an even bigger role later on. But you'll see. Thanks for reviewing! **Kate:** Thank you! lol soap opera…I can kinda see that, I get that feeling haha. Here's the update.

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* * *

Those thoughts I can't deny

These sleeping dogs won't lie

And now I try to lie

It's eating me apart

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* * *

Two months had come and gone without much action. On March 7th, Bill and Fleur had their baby – a beautiful, healthy baby boy they named Benjamin. On March 15th, Pansy was given a surprise party; a D.A. meeting was held that night and when she arrived, everyone shouted 'Happy Birthday.' There were drinks (non alcoholic for her and the younger students) and food, and the room was decorated with banners, streamers, and confetti. She received many gifts, a lot of them for the baby, but Blaise's gift was her favorite. It was a stainless steel necklace with a sterling silver dragon that had emeralds for eyes. She knew immediately the significance of the dragon; her father was born in the year of the dragon in the Chinese zodiac. His second gift was a claddagh ring that she put on her left ring finger with the crown facing away from her to signify that she was taken.

Harry had been quite secretive and went missing for lengthy periods during the weekends but Ron and Hermione joined him after a while – meaning he told him what he had been doing; Dumbledore found some leads on the horcruxes, but they couldn't tell anyone. Even most of the Order members were left out on information but Draco knew something was up. However, he didn't ask the golden three about it. If they needed him, or the other Slytherins, they knew they could just ask.

The D.A. meetings were set twice a week, now. There were a few new members and everyone was improving. Most had mastered what Harry, Draco, Pansy, Blaise, and even Anne taught them. They were encouraged to bring to the meetings whatever knowledge they had that could help in battle, which included spells. This was extremely helpful, because there were ten or twelve new spells, hexes, and curses that they knew, now, that they would never even have heard of had it not been for outside sources. This also improved their ability to work as a group because it wasn't the same people teaching every meeting. They all took turns based on who had something new to contribute.

Another new addition was physical training. The room provided a series of materials they could use for running, jumping, etc. There were even a few muggle-born and half-blooded students who knew martial arts. The training of the body as well as magical ability was essential because there was always the chance of physical contact during a duel, battle, or war between magical people. Or so Harry said.

After a particularly heavy and sweaty before-dinner-meeting, of which she could only do as much as her body allowed (and Blaise allowed) in her condition, Pansy said goodbye to Draco, Blaise, and Anne in the common room and proceeded to her bedroom. She needed a shower. She slipped out of her baggy shirt and sweatpants, put on a towel, and padded down the hall to the door to the sixth year bathroom. Each year had its own side of the octagonal common room with one side devoted to a large fireplace instead of a dorm, and each bathroom had boy and girl toilet and shower stalls. The sinks were on a round pedestal (like the ones in Myrtle's bathroom) in the center of the room – they were the only part of the bathroom that was not concealed, as it did not matter if both boys and girls used them. The showers were concealed within the two upper sides of the elongated penthouse that was the shape of each year's dorm and the toilet stalls were in the lower part. The girls' showers were to the right.

When she walked inside and closed the door, she put her clothes on one of the racks and stepped into one of the middle shower stalls. She sighed; the hot, steamy water made her feel loads better. She felt everything wash away; the sweat, the worry about Voldemort, worry about her baby, stress from homework – everything. There was nothing like a hot shower. Not once did she think of looking down at her stomach, as she often did. She was too preoccupied.

When she stepped out of the shower and into the small changing room attached to it, she just pulled on the underwear she took in with her; she hated changing in that tiny 'box,' as she called it. She always liked going into the long room with the mirror to change into the other clothes she had thrown on the rack. But after she pulled on her maternity jeans, she turned around to face the mirror and paused, her shirt in her hands and her mouth partially open in awe. She stared at her reflection and turned to the side. She was now five months pregnant, and she usually never had time to look in a mirror, so she had always seen her growing stomach from above. She placed her right hand on her belly, which did not look like it should at five months. Pansy knew this was because she had always been such an active person, and took quidditch and her training very seriously. She did not give up on working out when she got pregnant, either, so she was still lithe and strong. Her breasts had gotten bigger, too; something Blaise pointed out a few months ago. She hoped they would go back to a C once she finished breastfeeding. She liked her smaller-than-normal chest.

The door opened and she looked up. It was Anne. She knew that Anne and Neville had a thing for each other, but she still felt awful about what happened on Halloween. She didn't know what to do or say to the blonde, so she just sort of stood there awkwardly.

"Hi," Anne said, smiling. She always liked Pansy, even when she thought the darker girl was a threat to her relationship with Blaise. Then, she noticed Pansy's stomach. "Wow. I almost forgot you were pregnant. You hide it well."

Pansy shifted awkwardly. "Thanks."

"I mean, I've noticed but it's really hard to tell. Aren't you five months along?" Pansy nodded. "You look more like four. Oh, I'm sorry…that's really personal…" Anne blushed and look at the dark green tiled floor. The movement caused her wavy hair to fall over her shoulder.

Pansy smiled. "It's alright. I don't mind talking about it. And yeah, that's why it's easy to hide, though I have been trying to stop myself from doing that."

"You shouldn't," Anne suddenly said.

"Huh?"

"You shouldn't hide it. You shouldn't be ashamed. You should show them all how happy you are. It's a beautiful thing. By showing it proudly, it shows that you don't care about what they think."

Pansy smiled. "Thank you, Anne." Her eyes teared up and she sniffed. "I'm sorry. I seem to cry at random things all the time, now." She wiped her eyes with her shirt and then put it on. "I appreciate your sentiment, Anne. I really do. It means a lot, coming from you. I can't tell you how awful I still feel about what happened to you."

Anne pulled Pansy into a hug. "It's alright," she said in Pansy's ear. "It really is. I was hurt but it's over, and it wasn't your fault. I don't blame Blaise, either. You're better for him than I could ever be, and somehow, I always knew he had a thing for you. I just stupidly tried to ignore it." She pulled away from Pansy and blushed. "Besides…I kind of…like Neville."

Pansy's face lit up in a grin. "I figured. You two spend a lot of time together. I get the same feeling from him, too. Good luck with that."

"Thanks. And hey, when you go to dinner tonight, wear a tighter shirt, yeah?"

Pansy smiled. "Yeah. I will. See you there. Oh and invite Neville over. I'm sure he'd like that."

When Pansy walked into the Great Hall half an hour later, there were surprised stares and more whispers, but she didn't care. She was focused on the radiant wonder that was written all over Blaise's handsome face. He always placed his hands on her stomach and they had intimate moments, but they were always in the dark. Even so, while he and their friends knew the truth, most of the other students had begun to doubt the 'rumor' of Pansy's pregnancy because she wasn't showing as much as a five-month-pregnant woman should. Now, there was nothing they could say because there it was, displayed by her tank top and maternity blue jeans. It wasn't cold in the castle because it was early April and there were heating charms on the walls, so she was comfortable.

"Pansy, you're so beautiful," Ginny said when Pansy sat down. "Especially now. Pregnancy works for you."

"Thank you, Ginny," Pansy said gratefully.

"I think Blaise is in shock," Draco commented jokingly.

The friends looked at him and laughed. He was staring at Pansy in absolute wonder. "I…I've never seen…wow. Pansy, you are the most beautiful thing on this Earth."

Pansy blushed, though her Hawaiian skin barely showed it. "Oh come on."

"Why did you suddenly decide to wear tighter shirts?" Aurora asked. "I thought you were self conscious about being pregnant."

"With a little help from Anne of all people, I decided to stop trying to hide it. I discovered that it really doesn't matter to me what people think. They don't count. So, let's eat, yeah?"

"Yeah! And then relax," Ginny said. "Thank Merlin it's the weekend. And we have a Hogsmeade trip tomorrow!"

There was a chorus of cheers as they toasted each other.

* * *

-

* * *

"_Why is it not going faster?"_

"_My Lord, we are doing everything we can."_

"_Clearly, you aren't. You should be getting further every day than you are. I will ask again. Why is it not going faster? I have given you power, brains, and brawn and yet, you have not gotten as far as I ordered you to by now. It is nearly May! I want the school to be accessible by our attack in June!" _

_They were in a dark room with tiled floors and walls. Harry was very angry. But why was he angry? What was going on? He couldn't stop the words spewing from his mouth. He didn't even know what he was saying. The scared-looking woman in front of him had scraggly black hair that covered her head in ringlets. She was looking down at the floor, and the man to her right had his hood on._

"_My Lord, I promise that we have been working on it day and night. The ground is very hard, as it has not been touched for years. Please show us mercy. I beg of you to give us a little more time. I know we aren't at the point you wanted us to be at by now but we will work even harder for you, My Lord."_

_Harry felt a surge of anger. "THAT IS NOT ENOUGH!" he bellowed. "I gave you everything you needed but you are incompetent, as you always have been!"_

"_No, My Lord!" the woman screeched. She looked up. It was Bellatrix Lestrange. _

"_CRUCIO!"_

_Her scream echoed and faded. Harry felt himself being shaken._

"_Harry!" _

"_HARRY! WAKE UP!"_

Harry sat up really quickly as a scream escaped from his throat. It was three weeks after the Hogsmeade trip and everything had been going smoothly. Harry knew the break was too good to be true. He took deep breaths and forced himself to calm down. His scar was searing and he was clutching his head. Two figures were surrounding him; he recognized Ron and Seamus. He subconsciously looked around for Dean, as he had shared a room with them since last year, but they lived in a triple now. After what Dean did to Ginny, they wanted no part in their previous friendship with him.

"Harry what on earth happened?" Seamus sleepily asked, his tone really worried. Even after years of this, neither he nor Ron could get used to being woken up by bloodcurdling screams.

"Was it another vision?" Ron asked.

Harry nodded and threw the covers off him. He dug around for a pair of jeans by his bed and pulled them up over his boxers.

"Where are you going?" he heard Seamus ask.

"Dumbledore."

"What about the others?" Ron asked.

"I don't have enough time. I have to get to him now."

"Harry, it's four in the morning. The best you can do is bang on his office door. He's probably not going to hear you," Seamus said.

"Then I'll get the people I _can_ wake up."

Ron and Seamus looked at each other for a moment, feeling the breeze of Harry's fast departure, then Ron ran after him. Seamus shrugged and crawled back into bed after shutting the door.

* * *

-

* * *

Hermione woke to a loud banging. She got out of bed and groggily opened her door, immediately sobering when she saw the frantic look on Harry's face. "Harry, what is it? It's four in the morning."

"I had another dream. It's really serious."

Hermione wiped her eyes. "Are you sure Voldemort wasn't setting you up again?"

"I'm positive," Harry said, sounding and feeling surer than he ever has. "He wouldn't have wanted me to see this."

"Go get Draco since he's part of the Order. Let me get dressed. His password is Serpent's Lair."

When Harry ran back down the stairs and out of Hermione's portrait hole, he saw Ron entering the common room. "Where's Mione?" he asked.

"Changing. I'm going up to get Malfoy."

"I'll stay here."

Harry nodded, walked over to Draco's portrait hole, said the password without rolling his eyes, and ran up the stairs. He banged on Draco's door in much the same way as he did on Hermione's. When the door opened, a very grumpy blonde appeared.

"What the fuck do you want, Potter? It's four in the bloody morning."

"I wouldn't come to get you if it wasn't serious." Draco stared at him like he was an idiot. "I had a dream, a vision, of Voldemort. I think you should hear it."

"You woke me up for a dream?" Draco sounded incredulous.

"Just throw on a shirt and come down, will you?" Harry tried not to look at Draco's back when the blonde turned and walked to his dresser. Harry went back down the stairs and sat with Ron and Hermione.

When Draco walked down to the common room, he yawned and sat on the sofa next to Hermione. Harry and Ron were sitting on chairs opposite them.

"So what happened?" Hermione asked.

"Well, you know how when I dream about these visions, I'm in Voldemort's body?" She nodded. Draco looked surprised. "It was like that. I was…well, Voldemort was talking to two death eaters. One was Bellatrix. I couldn't identify the other but I know he was a man. Voldemort was really angry because those two were supposed to do something but they weren't doing it fast enough. Bellatrix said something about the ground being too hard…I don't know what that means, but I do know that he wants the school to be accessible by June when he attacks."

Draco nodded but looked grim. "This is bad. I need to find out what this means. I don't understand why I haven't been told about this."

"Maybe it's just something they are keeping between themselves," Hermione offered. "Something they don't want to tell anyone else. Harry, do you think anyone else is involved?"

"I don't know."

"What about the man? Could you see any features?" she pressed.

"No. They were both bowing until Bellatrix looked up in fright right before Voldemort crucioed her."

There was a silence, and then Draco spoke. "We should visit Dumbledore later. For now, I'd like to go back to sleep. There's nothing else we can do about this." Harry looked stubborn and determined. "I'll look into it, Potter. I promise. But _go to bed._"

Harry nodded and hesitantly agreed. When he and Ron went back to their dorm, Hermione and Draco shared a concerned look.

"What do you think this means?" she asked.

"I think that Voldemort has gotten annoyed with my lack of finding a way into the school."

* * *

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* * *

Thank you for reviewing! I appreciate them! Unless they're negative without a good reason. I hope you enjoyed the chapter.


	41. Action

I'm always apologizing, but yeah - I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while but here it is, and the next chapter is coming up soon. Suggestions are welcome and even encouraged! Reviews, too!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my plot and made up characters.

Enjoy! Thanks for the reviews!

* * *

-

* * *

And now I try to lie

It's eating me apart

Trace this life back

* * *

-

* * *

"I think it's time to put our plan into action."

"What do you mean, Drake?" Pansy asked. They were on the couch in the Head Students' common room. She was on her back with her feet on Draco's lap and her head on Blaise's. She was rubbing her stomach, which, in the last month, had gotten a lot larger. She had two more months to go before she was to give birth, so the baby was developing faster, now.

"We need to talk to Voldemort. It's been a month since Potter's vision and Voldemort still hasn't said anything about it. I want to go to him. Talk to him and ask him about what we should do as it gets closer to his time of attack. I also want to talk to him about the way into the school I found at the beginning of the year."

Blaise's eyes widened. "What way?"

"Remember the vanishing cabinet I mentioned?" The dark skinned boy nodded. "I'll tell Voldemort that I think I have it working. I just need to test it. Maybe he'll tell us about what's going on."

"What if he doesn't?" Zack asked.

"He'll be too excited about his plan to not."

"I hope you're right," Pansy said. "Should I go with you?"

"No. It'll look better if we say you're resting and couldn't make it. He'll understand. He loves you, and that you're having 'my' baby."

Blaise shook his head in awe. "If he really can't see that the baby is mine by looking into our minds…man, Snape is more powerful than I thought."

Pansy shifted her eyes to look at Draco. "Should we tell Harry?"

Draco thought hard for a minute. "I don't see how it could hurt. At least he'll get a warning before he feels Voldemort's pleasure again. At the same time, I don't think we should because he might go all Gryffindor and try to come with us in that cloak of his."

"Maybe we can just tell him right after we get back," Blaise suggested.

Draco nodded. "Alright, let's go to Snape. He should come with us since he's supposed to know about this plan."

* * *

-

* * *

"You have done well, young Malfoy. I am very pleased. But, you do not have to worry any longer. You can perform your task easier, now." He grinned.

"My lord?" Draco asked.

"I realize that you are in school and are trying to keep up your studies. I respect that. And, I know it is difficult for you to keep working on that cabinet. Therefore, I set two of my death eaters on a tunnel I found out about by torturing one of Hogwarts's previous troublemakers. He was an old man, but I gleaned the information before he died. Yes, Blaise? You look like you have something to say."

"Forgive me, my Lord. I was just wondering why you wouldn't just attack now, since you know where the tunnel is."

"A good question. After Hogwarts has its final exams, the students and teachers will be happy and carefree. They won't suspect a thing. So, before they get on the train to go to their humble little homes and disgusting families the next day, we will attack. I will lay back for a little while, waiting for Potter to come outside, while the rest of my death eaters will attack from the tunnel and the cabinet. Oh I know it works; Greyback has been testing it for me while you were in your classes, Draco. I did not tell you because, you see, I have been busy. I trust that you understand?" Draco nodded; it was not a question. "Good. You two will lead Potter and his friends down to the tunnel; I will tell you where it is and at what time then and not now to ensure that Potter's group and Dumbledore do not find out from your minds. Lucius and Bellatrix will lead the party of death eaters through. Understood?"

"Yes, my Lord," they responded.

"Good. Now go."

* * *

-

* * *

"Potter, we need to talk."

Harry looked around him; they were in the Great Hall at dinner that same night. "Somewhere else, I assume?" Draco nodded. "Now?"

The blonde nodded again. "The most private place we can talk, where there can be no listening ears. Bring everyone that knows." He walked away.

Harry understood the cryptic message and shared a curious look with Ginny. Then he wrote notes to Fred, George, Amanda, Trinity, and Aurora, and charmed them so that they could only be read by the recipient. _Hermione's, now. Important. – Harry. _"Okay, Hermione's. That's what he meant, right?" he asked his friend. She nodded. "He sounded urgent. Let's go." Ron, Ginny, and Hermione got up and followed him upstairs.

"Now that everyone's here, I need to tell you all something," Draco began. "This morning, Blaise and I went with Snape to go see Voldemort. After Potter's vision, we knew something was up that Voldemort wasn't telling us, so we went to find out and he was too giddy to keep it quiet. There is a tunnel he found that he will use for his death eaters to get into the school. He didn't tell us where it was in the castle because he thought one of you might be able to use legillimency on us and find out. He will tell us on the day he will attack, which is the day after finals and before we leave the next morning."

"Another tunnel we don't know about?" George asked Fred.

His twin shrugged. "Dunno. Maybe we do know about it. He's just not telling them which one."

"What other tunnels lead outside of Hogwarts?" Hermione asked them.

Fred turned to George again. "You think it's the shrieking shack?"

"Could be honeydukes," George suggested.

Fred looked thoughtful. "Maybe the Ravenclaw one."

"Or the Room of Requirement."

"The Room of Requirement has a tunnel?" Amanda asked, astonished.

"Yep," George answered. "We know it exists, we just don't know how to find it. We gave up when we found the new one. We've made a lot of progress, by the way!"

"Oh no," Ginny said suddenly, her face showing worry. "What if the one you've been working on is the one he means?"

"It's caved in, remember?" Fred said. "And it's too close to the time he wants to attack for him to use it. He'd have to clear it out, first, and we're the only ones doing that. And it's taking forever."

"Okay so that one's ruled out," Harry said. "What about the others? We don't know which ones he knows about. He went to school here, too, and he knew about the chamber. This is bad."

"You can't rule any out, Potter," Draco said, "no matter how impossible they may seem."

Blaise looked at him. "Well, no matter what, he's going to tell us that day. So we'll find out, then."

* * *

-

* * *

When everybody left, Ginny doubled back when no one was looking. She went up to Draco's room and sat on the bed with him. Nothing was said for a while. He pulled her close and let his head rest on hers. Her breathing calmed him.

"I'm scared, Draco."

If it wasn't so quiet in the room, he wouldn't have caught her whisper. He squeezed her lightly. "I know. But it'll be alright. We have an advantage because they don't know that the school and the Order knows everything. We'll be stronger than he'll expect, and that will surprise him. It'll halt him. And we'll win."

"But people will die…what if we don't win? What if Harry doesn't kill him? He still doesn't have all of the horcruxes. Only four have been destroyed. There are still two more. There's no point in fighting without them because Voldemort can't be killed unless every horcrux has been destroyed."

"We'll be able to fend them off for a while, though. We'll be able to deplete their numbers. That'll be a big blow to him, and he'll take a while before he strikes again."

"And we won't have the same advantage, then. He'll know of your betrayal and we'll have to fight blindly until he comes back. We won't have as much of a chance as we do now."

Draco hesitated for a long time before he answered her. "I know."

"I'm so scared…too many people I care about will be fighting in that battle, and the one after it. We can't afford to have two more. We have to make sure he dies this time. I don't know what I'd do if I lost anyone…"

He wiped away her tears. "Don't cry, Gin. We'll find a way. We'll plan, and we'll beat them. It's a disadvantage that we have such a big group of friends we have to watch out for, but we have to stay together in the fight, or one or more of us will be killed. We can't stray. Please stress this to Potter, because I know he'll run off gallantly trying to find Voldemort, even if he doesn't have all of the horcruxes by then." Ginny chuckled, but then her face saddened again. "We _will_ find a way. Look, I'll tell Dumbledore to call an Order meeting and to allow the younger ones in our group to come. Because this is so important, I'm sure he'll let you. He's understanding like that. Maybe we'll figure out a way to get to the horcruxes sooner. Split into groups, maybe. I dunno. But at least we'll put all of our brains together and try to resolve this once and for all, with minimal casualties."

Ginny took a little while to answer, and when she did, her voice sounded solemn. "I can't lose you, Draco. I can't lose anyone. I want this to be over. I want to be with you. I want people to know about us. I want everyone I love to stay alive. I want the world to be shrouded in light, again. I want him do die. I want this to be over." She was wracked with sobs, and couldn't speak anymore. He held her tight and whispered lovingly in her ear. He told her it would be alright, but in reality, he was scared out of his mind. He was so afraid of losing her, Blaise, Pansy, Aurora, Hermione, his mother…so much that he thought it might kill him before the battle did. He even found himself worrying about Potter and the others, surprising himself that he actually had come to care about them all.

* * *

-

* * *

"Draco!"

Draco's heart stopped at the voice. He hesitantly looked over at the fire from across the room; he learned to stay far away from it. "What?"

"Don't you take that tone with me! Come here!"

"I'm doing my homework."

"You will do it later! _Come here!_"

"The dark lord knows and understands how important my studies are. He encourages them." Draco felt a violent force pull him off his seat. He went flying into the fire and when he stood, he found himself in Malfoy Manor. The fireplace had been doused. _'Shit…'_

Lucius stood tall and furious. When Draco finally looked at him, he noticed something strange. His father's beautiful face was twisted in an ugly sneer as usual, but bruised and cut. His shirt was torn, and bloody. He was favoring his right leg.

"Since when could you –"

"Pull you across a room? Oh there are so many things you do not know about me, Draco."

"Such as the reason for your beating?"

Lucius's face morphed into the most evil expression Draco had ever seen on him. "While _you_ are in school being a sweet little student, the dark lord has _me_ doing his dirty work. While he tells _you_ about what he has planned, he forces _me_ to do it. While _you_ walk _away_, _I_ get tortured. And because I can't do anything about it,_ I_ will now take it out on _you._"

"I guess you got a taste of your own medicine, huh, _father?_" Lucius lunged for him. "_INCARCEROUS!_"

While Lucius struggled with the ropes, Draco ran. He looked over his shoulder the moment before he apparated outside of the wards of the Manor, and saw his father run out the door after him. Because the only thought running through his mind was _'Run, run for your fucking life,'_ his mind wasn't thinking clearly and instead of apparating into Hogsmeade, or even Diagon Alley, he apparated to right outside the Hogwarts gates. His father apparently had the same destination in mind.

Lucius grabbed him and whirled him around. The first curse fired was _crucio_.

* * *

-

* * *

Harry was staring at the Marauders Map, not really focusing on it. His mind wandered as he was checking for people in the halls so he could go to the kitchens and get a snack. However, something caught his eye that was not there a minute ago. By the first floor boy's bathroom, there was a name he was surprised to see. He got out of bed without alerting the others in the room who were asleep. When he left Gryffindor Tower, he went to the first floor. When he opened the door and walked in, his eyes widened in horror. "Malfoy! Shit."

Draco was crumpled on the floor with his back to the wall, and he was bleeding everywhere. Harry recognized the distinct gashes as the ones _sectum sempra _made. Instantly, he knew who had done this. He hurried over to Draco but the blonde tried to push him away. "What the hell are you doing here? I came here because I thought no one would be here this time of night."

"Marauders map," was Harry's answer. "I saw you on it."

"Get away from me. I'm fine."

"That's why you can barely stand up, right? You've probably lost a lot of blood. Just let me help you."

"Why aren't you asking any questions? Isn't that what you and Weasel are famous for?"

"Don't get defensive. I know how you got these gashes. Just shut up and let me get you to Pomfrey…or someone else who can help."

"How the hell d'you know?" Draco's vision was becoming blurry, and his eyes felt like drooping.

"I just do, Malfoy. Let's keep it at that, yeah? Who do I take you to? Pomfrey? Hermione?"

"Snape…take me to Snape."

"I don't know how to get to his rooms…"

"The closet in the potions classroom has another door inside it. That's where it is."

"Okay." Harry knew that Slughorn didn't live in quarters that were near the Potions room. That is Snape's permanent apartment while at Hogwarts, no matter what position he held. So Harry was not surprised that Snape still lived in the Dungeons. He was, however, surprised that he did not live in an offset apartment in Slytherin.

He noticed Draco's eyelids falling as they were walking, so he shook him. "Hey! Don't close your eyes. Stay with me. I can't carry you on my own."

"I'm tryin,'" Draco said softly.

"Do you want me to contact Hermione or Ginny?"

This made Draco perk up. His heart nearly stopped. "Why…would I want you to contact Red?" '_Does he know?'_ he thought.

Then Harry realized his slip. "Well you live with Hermione, and Ginny is almost always there. You two are friends, are you not? She knows about your scars, so I assume she knows about this, though I could be wrong. So…Pansy, then? Rora?"

Draco shook his head and continued to look at him suspiciously, but dropped it. He had no energy to waste on that, now. He shook his head. By the time they got to Snape's quarters, he was almost unconscious.

* * *

-

* * *

Severus was about to get ready for bed when he heard a hard knocking on his door. He was surprised; it was after hours. Wondering who it could be, as only few knew where his quarters actually were, he opened his door and nearly took a step back in shock. He ushered them inside and locked his door.

He reached out to take Draco from Harry and the blonde practically fell into the professor's arms. "Where was he?" he snapped at Harry.

"I found him in the first floor bathroom. I don't know how he got there from where Lucius dropped him off…but I know it was his father who did this."

Snape noted the raw fury in Harry's voice and wondered when these two had become close enough to care about each other. He saw the way Draco interacted with the Gryffindors his group befriended and though he kept up his appearances, Snape could tell that Draco cared for them all.

Draco was fading in and out of consciousness. He realized that he was getting blood all over his godfather, and tried to pull away from him. He also felt horrible that he disturbed him this late.

"I'm sorry…"

Snape looked Draco straight in the eye. His voice was stern and hard, but had an odd softness and caring to it. "Don't feel sorry for _anything_. Do you understand me?" Draco weakly nodded his head. "Good. Potter, sit him sideways on the chair. I need his back to be clear of obstruction so I can heal it properly."

Harry did not hesitate. When Draco was seated, Harry pulled up a chair for himself. Draco fell unconscious again and slumped forward, his weight shifting to Harry who was holding both of the blonde's shoulders. Harry glanced at him uneasily, but he soon found that he didn't really care that his former enemy was leaning on him, especially because of what his own father had done to him.

When Snape cut Draco's shirt off and his gashes and welts were visible, Harry's heart hardened. This must have shown on his face, as he was gritting his teeth like mad.

Snape's voice startled him. "Horrifying, isn't it," he said while he worked on his godson's back.

It wasn't really a question. Harry watched while Snape worked, his professor's monotone chanting nearly putting him in a daze. After what seemed like hours, Snape stood and went into his kitchen. He came back a minute later with two glasses filled halfway with potion. He shook Draco's shoulder, minding any gashes or bruises. "Draco, wake up."

The blonde opened his eyes as if it took a world of effort. "What…"

"You need to swallow these. This will replenish your blood and this will let you sleep peacefully."

Draco managed to drink them before passing out again. Snape put the glasses on his table and, with Harry's help, carried his godson over to the sofa.

"Potter…" came Draco's whisper just before Harry left his side.

"What?"

Draco didn't even turn his head or open his eyes when he spoke. "Don't tell Hermione. Or…anyone…" Draco slipped again, this time for good.

Harry inwardly sighed. "I won't."

It seemed like it was a while that he stood there until he heard his professor's voice. "I want to thank you, Potter."

Harry turned toward him. "For what?"

"Taking him to me. And putting your past behind you. If he stayed in that bathroom any longer, he might have died."

At last, Harry finally understood Snape. The man put on a hateful mask in the classroom, but behind closed doors, he really did have a heart. He did it to protect people like Blaise, Pansy, Aurora, Draco. The Order. Dumbledore. Perhaps everyone on the good side, even Harry himself. He remembered learning that it was Snape who saved him from Quirrell's curse during his first quidditch match. Snape who forced Harry to hate him, to keep him at a distance so he could be properly watched without getting in the way. No one evil could love. They didn't have that ability. Harry finally saw that his batty, nasty old professor was actually all good; it just took physical evidence to show him. And, just as it had with himself and Draco, the hatred between them disappeared.

* * *

-

* * *

**Thank you for reading. Please tell me what you think, and send suggestions! I just might use them**


	42. The Deathly Hallows

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the plot**

**I'm so sorry I haven't updated in a while. My laptop got a serious Trojan and died on me so I had to order another one but it comes tomorrow and it's been three weeks since I ordered it. My parents are getting divorced, I just met my biological parents and siblings for the first time in January, and I'm taking four art classes so things are pretty hectic. However, I went home to ny recently and my mom let me take her old desktop so I'm back on! Even though I get the damn laptop tomorrow…**

**I know this is short but without my laptop and the hard drive from the infected laptop, I have nothing else to give you. I hope you enjoy and that this holds you off until I can write another chapter. Please tell me what you think!**

* * *

It's eating me apart

Trace this life back

* * *

Harry thought a lot about what happened last night. His relationship with Snape had changed in the course of two hours, and it was still mind boggling. He, of course, didn't tell anyone, just as Malfoy had asked. He was still seething about the whole ordeal. He couldn't understand how a parent could do something like that to their own children. He shook his head; he should stop thinking about it. If he didn't, he knew it would consume him and he promised Malfoy that he wouldn't let anything slip. He also knew that he and Malfoy would never talk about what happened last night, but he was okay with that. He was surprised that these incidents brought them closer instead of cause Malfoy to push him away, but he'd never question him about it. That definitely _would_ push him away. Malfoy wasn't exactly the type to talk about his feelings...Harry made up his mind. It was time to put an end to all of this madness, pain, death, and destruction. He was going to talk to Dumbledore.

* * *

"Harry, my boy. Come in, come in. Treacle tart? Have a seat."

"No thank you, sir."

"You look nervous. What can I do for you?"

"I wanted to tell you something…that you're not gonna like." Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "You know we've been trying to find the horcruxes and that you are okay with it, but…I've come to realize that I can't devote our time to finding and destroying them while going to school…so…I…wanted to let you know that I'll be leaving."

Dumbledore was quiet for some time, his folded hands visible on the table. Harry glanced at the blackened one and sighed. This wasn't going to be easy. He glanced back at his headmaster, who finally decided to speak. "Don't you think your friends would want to go with you?" Harry's eyebrows raised. "Harry, I cannot tell you what to do. It is because of you and your friends that we are so close to defeating Voldemort. I will understand if you want to leave but I must advise you to choose otherwise."

"Professor –"

Dumbledore held up his good hand. "I have informed the other professors that there will be no final examinations this year."

"No finals?"

The headmaster shook his head. "I know what will happen in June, thanks to Draco and Severus, and I know how traumatizing it will be. There will be lives lost, that is certain, which is why I will be sending everyone home four days early. Those above fourth year who wish to stay may stay, however I cannot risk the lives of my students. So, if you want to go on a search for these horcruxes, do not worry about your grades."

"What…but…professor, if there will be no finals, why not tell them now? Why not send us all home now?"

"Because, Harry, learning everything you can is imperative, and Voldemort will have found out. This must be a surprise. I have arranged for Hogwarts to hold short summer crash courses that will end with the finals you all would have taken in June. I assume you believe you will be searching for the horcruxes alone? I thought Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley went with you the last few times. I also thought you might take some of the members of the D.A."

"… Wait, you know the D.A. has been meeting this year?"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Don't you think they would want to go with you?"

"Well yeah, but I'm done with risking people's lives for me."

"They aren't doing it for you, Harry. They are doing it with you."

Harry looked thoughtful as he got up and said goodbye.

* * *

"So what's this all about?" Draco asked.

They were seated in Hermione and Draco's common room, enjoying the fire while ready to listen to why Harry called them there. It was the whole group; Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, Luna, Amanda, Trinity, Fred, George, Draco, Blaise, Pansy, Aurora, Theo, and Zack.

Harry's eyes fixed on them. "I wanted to tell you this before I tell the D.A. They, of course, won't know every detail I am telling you – I spoke to Dumbledore last night. There won't be finals this year."

Hermione gasped. "WHAT? No finals? But…WHY?"

Multiple people rolled their eyes. Some cheered. Harry shook his head at her and smiled. "Because Dumbledore wants everyone to leave the school four days earlier than usual. He knows there will be deaths and he wants to protect as many people as he can."

"We're not leaving," Ron said strongly. Harry looked surprised.

"Ron –"

"No, Harry," Neville interrupted. "Don't even try it. We're part of the D.A. and we're staying to help fight. I'm sure Dumbledore mentioned the help from your friends."

"Uh…yeah…he did, but –"

Trinity rolled her eyes. "Stop being so noble. We're going to fight with you, and that's final."

"Then it's settled," said Luna. "We're staying."

Draco stood suddenly with an odd look on his face. "I'm going to my room."

Harry looked confused. "Why?"

Draco turned so his back was to the fire and he gave Harry a serious look. "I'm kind of tired and I'd like to sit on my bed, if you don't mind. You can take this upstairs if you like, or if not, don't. I don't care."

Harry looked at the rest of them and shrugged. "Let's go, then."

When the door closed to Draco's room, Blaise asked what that was all about.

"I might just be paranoid, but we were talking about something very serious and the fire was lit."

Pansy gasped. "Oh my god, Draco, Lucius!"

"Yeah, that's what I was worried about."

"I doused it before I followed you up," Aurora said.

Draco sighed. "Good. I'm glad you got the message, Potter."

"Well, I didn't expect _that_, but you looked pretty serious. Anyway – there's no way he can eavesdrop here, is there?" Draco shook his head. "Anyway…horcruxes. I'm going out to search for them, which is how I found out that we're not having finals. Instead, Dumbledore set up crash courses over the summer and the finals will take place when they're done." Hermione looked relieved. "I don't want any of you to come with me to search for the remaining horcruxes, but I can't not tell you where I'm going and I know you'll refuse to stay here…"

"How many have been found?" Hermione wasted no time.

Harry took a minute to think. "The diary I destroyed with the basilisk fang, Tom Riddle's ring that Dumbledore destroyed with Gryffindor's sword, and the locket we destroyed with the sword. That leaves four more…"

"That's a lot to find in two months," Ginny said, sounding disheartened.

"I know…but I have a hunch as to where one might be," Hermione stated suddenly. "I think our first stop should be Godric's Hollow."

Harry's eyes widened. "I thought you didn't think that was a good place to look."

"Well, that's because I thought you just wanted to go because it's an important place to you…which I would have done after all of this was over, of course…but I've been doing research, and I keep coming upon this symbol. I first saw it on the necklace Mr. Lovegood was wearing at Bill and Fleur's wedding, and in one of the books I came upon, there was something about the Peverell's and the symbol was written next to that surname. Luna, do you know anything about that?"

"Oh, yes! That is the symbol of the Deathly Hallows."

"The deathly hallows?" Harry asked.

"Do you know the story of the three brothers?" Many of them nodded, but Harry shook his head. "It is an old children's tale. There were three brothers that wanted to cross a raging river, so they used their magic and formed a bridge. As they were crossing, Death rose up in front of them, furious because he felt cheated; people died all the time trying to cross that river. But he was impressed, so he offered them each something they most wanted with hopes that he would trick them into untimely deaths. The oldest was the greediest, so he asked for an unbeatable wand. The second was sick with grief because the woman that was supposed to be his wife passed away before they could marry, and he wanted to see her again. So he asked for a way to bring her back, and Death gave him a stone. The youngest was the humblest, and all he asked for was the ability to become invisible, so Death cut off part of his robes and gave him a cloak of invisibility." Luna took a sheet of parchment and a quill out of her bag. She dipped the quill in ink and drew the symbol, which was a vertical line inside a circle inside a triangle. "The line is the elder wand, the bloodiest and most powerful wand in history. The circle is the resurrection stone, which can bring people back from the dead, though not in their true form; they sort of take on an odd character, as they do not belong in this world – and the triangle is the cloak of invisibility."

"What happened to the brothers?" Harry asked eagerly.

"The oldest brother boasted far and wide about his unbeatable wand and one night, after much drinking, another wizard broke into his room and killed him, successfully taking the wand and claiming ownership. The oldest brother then went to Death, as Death had planned. The second brother brought back his fiancé from the dead, but she did not belong in this world and barely responded to him. She moved about as if in despair, and, after a month or two, he killed himself, sending her back into the stone and himself to Death. Death searched for the third brother for many years, but he never found him. When the third brother was old, he gave the cloak to his son. When he died, he welcomed Death as an old friend, and the cloak passed through the generations of his family."

All was silent in the room for a long time until Ron spoke. "There is no true cloak of invisibility except for Harry's. The enchantments always fade or don't work properly, but Harry's hasn't, and it belonged to his dad. What if Harry's cloak is the cloak from the story?"

"Whoa, whoa, hang on," said Hermione. "We don't even know if that story was real. It's just a story told to children to make them see that being greedy is bad."

"Hermione, I think it _is_ real," Harry said. "We talked about my cloak…what about the wand?"

"There is a wand in history just like the one in the story," Blaise said. "I thought you'd know this, Hermione. It's been called many names, but all of those names refer to one wand, and like Luna said, it's known as the bloodiest wand in history."

"Okay, fine! But what about the resurrection stone?" Hermione asked exasperatedly. "There's no stone you can use to bring people back from the dead."

"And all muggles say there's no such thing as magic."

Hermione huffed and glared at Harry.

"Daddy and I believed the story was real because there was too much evidence, and now there is even more," Luna said.

"Why don't we ask Dumbledore?" Aurora asked. "He might know."

Harry nodded. "That's a good idea. I'll do that tomorrow."

"So, you think there may be a Horcrux in Godric's Hollow?" Pansy asked Hermione. "Hidden in a grave?"

"I'm not sure. I wanted to go to Luna's house but now there's no need. Luna, does anyone know who has the elder wand now? _If_ it exists?"

"Oh it does exist, there's too much history on it, but I'm not sure. I certainly don't know, nor does daddy."

Pansy looked a little timid. "Harry, would…would Voldemort really hide a horcrux in a grave?"

"As much as I hate to say it..." Harry began, "knowing Voldemort, he _would_ be capable of thinking of a hiding place like that. He's sick and vindictive. He might have a horcrux there because it was where my parents lived, but it wouldn't necessarily be inside a grave, and it would have to have been the last horcrux he ever made."

"Unless he moved one after he got his body back," Ginny added.

"In any case, I think Hermione's right," Amanda said. "I think we should at least start there, even if there isn't a horcrux. If that symbol caught _her_ attention, it _has_ to be important." They chuckled, even Hermione. "And now that we know the details of the story, I think that's our best bet."

"When do we leave?" Blaise asked.

"We should stay in classes until the end of the week so we're not suspicious," Amanda thought out loud. She looked at Harry. "Who will go on this mission? We can't all be out of school at the same time. It would look very bad, especially to the Slytherins. They'd report it to Voldemort."

"A sickness," Theo said suddenly.

Zack looked at him oddly. "A sickness?"

"Like dragonpox!" Blaise exclaimed.

"Fred, George, give us some of your puking pastilles. Pass them around. We'll eat them at different times on different days during classes or meals, or even in our own common rooms. It'll make it seem like a stomach bug is going around." The twins looked positively delighted. Theo turned to the rest of them. "When you all eat yours at the appointed time, make it look real. Hell, even cast a heat charm on yourselves so that you start sweating. Go to the hospital wing, and whoever gets to be the first to go, tell Dumbledore and Pomfrey what we're doing. She can keep us in the back room in quarantine and tell the school that it's a stomach virus. There are individual beds with three-way dividers against the walls so if anyone else is in there for some reason, they won't be able to tell who else is in the room." They all looked impressed. He turned to the twins. "Can you put the pastilles in liquid form?"

"Yeah," George answered, "should be very easy. Dunno why we hadn't thought of it before…"

"Why?" Fred asked.

"Slip it in random people's drinks at meals or in their water bottles in classes. I trust you can do it without anyone noticing. I know it's a little barbaric, but other people not involved have to get sick so that no one gets suspicious of us. Make the antidote into a liquid, too, and give it to Pomfrey. She can give it to them right away, but she'll have to make it seem like a drawn out process because we might be gone a while. If the other students get better right after she gives them the antidote and she doesn't keep them for 'testing,' they'll get suspicious of the group of friends not getting better. She's not gonna like this at all, but if she knows it's for the sake of killing Voldemort, I'm sure she'll do it."

"Theo," Pansy breathed, "that's…"

"Bloody brilliant," Ron finished.

"I…I don't like it," Hermione said, "but it _is_ brilliant, and I agree…as much as I hate to say it…" She turned to Harry and Ron. "Oh god, When did you turn me into such a rule breaker? I blame this on you two." She glared at them and they snorted.

"I'll volunteer to take the first pill," Luna said happily in her sing-song voice. "I was going to visit daddy this weekend, anyway. Faking an illness will let me go home earlier so I can spend more time with him. Unless you need me, of course. I understand that you need people to stay behind as much as you need people searching with you."

"It's up to you, Luna," Harry said tiredly. "I'm not gonna tell you where to go; I don't want you to get in trouble, anyway, so you decide."

She smiled. "Alright. I'll visit my father and see if he knows anything about horcruxes and where they might be."

"So who decides on who goes on what trips?" Zack asked, getting down to business.

"I want to go," Draco said immediately. "On all of them. There are snatchers and death eaters out searching for you, Potter. Even if we split up into separate groups and go to different places, if you get caught, contact me through the fake galleon and I can sneak away and go to the manor, where you'll be brought."

"Good idea, okay, so Draco – all trips." Hermione was writing everything down on a long piece of parchment. "Blaise, too, I'm assuming?"

The dark boy shook his head. "I don't want to leave Pansy in her last two months more than I have to. If you absolutely need me, I'll go in a heartbeat, but I'd like to be here as much as possible. I'll go on the first trip, definitely, but the rest will be iffy." Pansy smiled up at him.

"Where else will we be going?" Fred asked.

"Not sure," Harry answered. "Wherever we get a new lead. We'll return to the castle after every trip we make, though, so we'll switch off. I'm going on all of them, though, so I'll have to fake getting better and then throwing up again in class so it looks like I have it bad. Anyone else going on all trips should do that, too."

"Me too," Ron said. "Count me in for everywhere we go."

Hermione wrote their names down, along with her own, under Draco and Blaise. "That's already four fixed people on every trip," she said. "How many are we taking each time we go out?"

"Enough so that we can split up if we need to," Harry told her. "There are fifteen of us willing to go, and while I don't want to ask them, I know other members of the D.A. will be as well. If ten go at a time, five can stay behind and work on other things, as well as act the part of the sick, recovering, or worried friend of someone who has fallen ill to the stomach virus."

"The D.A. members will be really good for that," Amanda said. "There are a lot of us, and because there will be a limited amount of people that can go on these excursions, a lot of us will be left behind to do all of that."

"We should have a meeting tomorrow," Hermione told Harry, who nodded.

"I want to go to Godric's Hollow," Ginny said. Aurora asked Hermione to put her name down, as well.

"That's Draco, Blaise, Harry, Ron, me, Ginny, and Aurora. Seven. I'm assuming you four want to stay together, am I right?" Hermione asked Fred, George, Amanda, and Trinity. They nodded.

The group carried on into the night, figuring out the details of their weekend trip to Godric's Hollow.

* * *

The next day, Luna was escorted to the hospital wing, after which she explained everything to Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore. The medi witch did not like the plan at all, but she went with it, and while Dumbledore was concerned with purposefully getting innocent students sick even for only a day, he thought it was a good plan. Luna was taken to the floo in Dumbledore's office later that night so she could go home early. Everything was going according to plan and the group of friends, sans Luna, ate happily that night.

However, the next morning brought ill news. They were summoned to the headmaster's office, excused from their first classes. When they all arrived, they were disconcerted at the uneasy, worried look in Dumbledore's eyes.

"Miss Lovegood was flooed last night, as you all know. Her father owled me this morning before breakfast; she never made it home."

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed that! I'll be writing more soon. I've been so stuck with this story but I FINALLY made a breakthrough! I've been battling with myself with how to do the ending to the story and I finally got it. I finally have a plan. However, I still love hearing your ideas! Please review!**


	43. Godric's Hollow

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot of my story. I also don't own a few of the lines of dialogue, as I took them from the book, and I don't own most of the last few paragraphs of this chapter because I took it from the book. Like I said, I own nothing at all except the idea that made me write this story. I'm trying to keep this as close to the book as possible because the story is going to take a drastic turn.**

**In my excitement about discovering how I can finish this story, I made it sound like the last chapter was the last chapter of the story. It's not! I still have about ten or twenty more to go. Sorry about that! Also, there will be no more song lyrics as it is an annoyance to constantly look up what part of the song I'm on in the last chapter and put them in the next one. Besides, it's already gone around twice.**

**Thank you for your reviews! As I've asked before, if you have the time to alert or favorite my story, please take the time to review. I get all kinds of ideas from reviewers, and most of all, motivation. It's really nice waking up to see some in my inbox, so if you have the time to favorite or alert my story, please review :)**

* * *

"_Harry_, for the last time, we can't just rush after her. That's a fool's errand. We need a plan."

"Hermione! The death eaters have her! How can you say that? She's probably being starved, or, or _tortured!_"

"Will you stop being a Gryffindor for ONCE and use your head?" They all looked at Draco, who hadn't spoken until now. "You can't just run into something like this! You need to think up a plan for something as dangerous as rescuing someone from death eaters. Good god, Potter. It's good you have Slytherin friends. IF she was taken by death eaters, which, frankly, is the most likely case, then she'll be at my family's manor. Why don't Blaise and I split off from your group and head there while you look for the horcrux?"

"NO!"

The others jumped at Ginny's frightened gasp. Draco glanced at them; none of the other Gryffindors except Hermione, Potter, and his sister knew what happened whenever Lucius got his hands on him.

Harry took the opportunity to jump in. "He'll be fine, Ginny. He and Za...Blaise will be going together. It won't be like last time when he was taken from his common room. Right?" he asked Draco and Blaise.

They nodded, Draco very hesitantly. His gut didn't feel right. He battled with feeling embarrassed that Potter saw him in that weakened state, and with feeling heartened by the golden boy's actions. He was also impressed. Potter knew all about what his father did to him, but instead of flip out and rush over to the manor, he was trying his best to comfort the girls. Draco could never forget the look of raw fury on Potter's face two nights ago. He was grateful...grudgingly. His cheeks felt hot with embarrassment, so he looked at the floor but didn't lean back in his chair; he was still very sore.

"It's the best we can do," Blaise said. "It's really the only way we can get her back safely. We'll need you to come rescue her, though...the death eaters need to think we're on their side until June. If she goes missing from the manor when we go back to school, it'd be very bad for us. We'd have to go into hiding and all our planning will be for nothing."

Harry nodded. "We'll search around Godric's Hollow, and maybe even go to Luna's house to see if we can get any information from her dad even though we know about the hallows. He might know something she doesn't, and he'll be more willing to give the information if he knows we're going to save her. I feel good that you're going to the manor. That makes me feel a lot better."

"Right, just hurry, Potter," Draco said. "I don't know how long we can keep them off her."

Harry gulped. "Right."

"I guess the puking pastille-taking is to be sped up," George said questioningly.

"We'll take ours this afternoon at lunch," Fred told him. "Harry, you should take yours today, too. And a few more of you. I'll slip some into people's drinks, too."

"Okay." Harry had a brooding expression on his face. "I don't think we can wait until the weekend. I want to leave tonight."

* * *

They weren't sure how Godric's Hollow looked during the day, but at night, especially in the warming weather, it was quite cozy. The bars weren't busy, but they weren't empty, giving the little town a homey feel. It looked a lot like Hogsmeade, Harry noted.

And then he realized he didn't know were to start searching. "Uh, Hermione? Where are we going?"

"To Bathilda Bagshot's house."

"The author of Hogwarts, A History?" Aurora asked curiously.

Hermione looked impressed. "Yes, and A History of Magic, as well as a ton of other history books. I figured she's as good a place to start as any, especially since the elder wand was mentioned in A History of Magic. I found it while I was researching in the library last night."

They looked at every house on the street, but none of them had the surname Bagshot written on or above the doors. Ron sighed. "How are we going to find this place?"

But Hermione didn't answer. She had her back turned to them. "Harry," she whispered, "look."

It was dark so it was hard to see what she was looking at, but when Harry turned and his eyes adjusted, his heart nearly flew up into his throat at the sight of the graveyard. He walked towards it in a dreamlike state and stopped just before the entrance. "Do...do you think they'd be in there?"

"Yeah, I think they would," she answered softly.

Ginny, Hermione, and Aurora glanced at each other, knowing how big of a moment this was for him. Ron stared at the graveyard with almost as much interest and wonder as Harry. But unlike Harry, he felt no fear of what he might, or might not, find.

Harry took Hermione's answer as a go-ahead and he walked beyond the gate. He grabbed the hands of the two closest to him, Ginny and Aurora, and they squeezed back. "It's okay, Harry," Ginny said. "We're all here. We'll help you look."

He smiled weakly at her and she realized he was trying to hold back tears. He started walking and let go of her hand, the squeeze giving him the push he needed.

It was truly beautiful. There were trees and bushes growing everywhere, though charmed so that the roots didn't destroy any coffins below. The headstones looked old, even the newest ones, so the overall look of the graveyard was consistent.

There were rows and rows of graves, yet instead of feeling sadness, the five felt a calming, soothing sensation as they walked through the aisles looking for James and Lily. It was Harry who found them. He stopped walking and stood in front of the beautiful tomb none of them had thought to check before circling the stones. There was a statue topping it of James and Lily holding baby Harry, much like the one that was on the fountain in the town square. Their names were intricately carved on the front with their birth and death dates underneath, and underneath that was written:

_The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death._

"It's beautiful," came a Hermione's voice from behind him. "Fitting. Of course they'd have a tomb instead of just a grave. I should have known."

"But what does that mean? The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death? That's a death eater idea."

"I don't think it means defeating death in the way death eaters mean it, Harry," she said gently. "It means living on after death. Once you defeat death, there is nothing else to defeat, and if they lived on, in everyone's hearts and memories, they won. Not even death defeated James and Lily."

"But they _are_ dead," Harry said sadly.

Aurora wrapped her arms around Harry's waist and let her head rest on his chest. "No, Harry. They live in all of us. In every person that still believes in them, that knows their sacrifice and bravery. They were strong people, and will always be remembered. They'll live until the end of time, in history. As will you. As will everyone in this war. I'm sure they're looking at you right now, their hearts swelling with pride at who their son has become. I know mine is."

There were tears in Hermione's and Ginny's eyes. Harry wrapped his arms tightly around the girl who wormed her way into his heart. "Thank you," he whispered.

Hermione made a wreath of flowers with her wand and leaned it against the cold stone. They stood there in silence for a few moments more and turned to walk away. Ron noticed that Aurora was lagging behind, so he stopped and watched her turn back to the tomb. Instead of alert the others, he stayed where he was in the shadows, curious.

"James, Lily," she whispered, "please help us. Please help Harry. We _have_ to defeat Voldemort; the world can't wait another sixteen years. I know you did your best, but we need to do our best, and your help, whatever it may be, would be greatly appreciated. If not for anyone else, then for Harry. I wish I could have met you. You've instilled hope in people's hearts and you are a beacon of light in a darkening world. I would have been proud to know such people. Even though Harry hates attention and fame, I know he's proud to be your son. Please...please help us."

"Ron? Aurora?" Ginny called.

The blonde turned and before running after them, she, too, created flowers and put them at the foot of the tomb.

"I haven't exactly been...the best to you."

She jumped when she heard Ron's voice and saw him in the shadows. He started walking with her to the gates of the graveyard. "Merlin, Ron. You scared the ever loving hell out of me."

"Sorry."

"You heard?"

He nodded. "I'm sorry I've been such an ass to you. It's just that...it's hard to get over such hatred for someone, even though they've changed. I was wrong about you. At first, I thought you were just another awful Malfoy, out for fame and fortune. I was honestly afraid for Harry. That's why I wasn't...warm and welcoming."

She smiled at him; she knew how hard it was for him to say that. "Thank you, Ron."

He looked at her, surprised, but said nothing else. She now knew why he was never really a good sport about her and Ginny's friendship and her and Harry's relationship. He was a good friend; protective.

"Harry, do you have the cloak ready if someone comes along?" Hermione asked. He nodded; they couldn't all fit under the cloak, so Hermione made him swear before they left that he would throw it over himself if they saw anyone suspicious. They made their way down another street, searching, again, for a house they didn't know the look of, of a person they barely knew.

"Aurora, don't go too far," Harry called. His girlfriend was at the end of the street, a little too far from them than he was comfortable with.

She turned and beckoned for them to follow; she had found something. They hurried up to her and saw why she stopped. Set back a little more than the others was a house that had clearly been attacked, a long time ago. The roof had caved in, there was barely a second floor, and vines had taken over the first.

"Harry," Ginny breathed, "this was your parents' house."

In front of the house was a sign that read:

_On this spot, on the night of 31 October 1981,_

_Lily and James Potter lost their lives._

_Their son, Harry, remains the only wizard_

_ever to have survived the Killing Curse._

_This house, invisible to muggles, has been left_

_in its ruined state as a monument to the Potters_

_and as a reminder of the violence_

_that tore their family apart_

All around these words was sixteen years of scribbled graffiti that all had roughly the same message or meaning. Good luck, Harry, wherever you are. We're rooting for you, Harry! Long Live Harry Potter. I hope you read this someday, Harry, so that you know how many people you've inspired. DEATH TO DEATH EATERS AND VOLDEMORT!

Hermione looked appalled. "They shouldn't have written on the sign!"

Harry, Ron, and Ginny grinned. "I think it's brilliant," Harry said. Aurora smiled and took his hand.

Ron took out his wand and started magically carving into the wood. When he was finished, it said:

Dumbledore's Army was here. Fear no more.

He signed his name as Ronald Bilius Weasley under it. Ginny stepped forward and wrote Ginevra Molly Weasley under Ron's. Aurora took out her wand and wrote Aurora Aquila Malfoy.

"Aquila?" Ginny questioned.

"It's a constellation; every Black has a name with a constellation in it. Aquila was Zeus's eagle. My mother gave me that name because she wanted me to be as free as a bird, and fly away from my father."

Hermione smiled in spite of herself. She shook her head and resigned; she wrote her name, Hermione Jane Granger, under Aurora's. Finally, Harry wrote his name: Harry James Potter. And under that, he wrote: May 3rd, 1997.

The powerful moment was broken by a shuffling to their left. They looked and saw a very old woman wrapped in her cloak and head scarf heading toward them. She slowed and stopped in front of Harry. Her eyes seemed to bore into him, and he shifted his weight to his other leg, uncomfortable.

She raised a hand and beckoned.

"Excuse me, but who are you?" Hermione asked.

The old woman beckoned again, harder this time.

Harry thought hard about why she would want them to follow her. "Are you...are you Bathilda Bagshot?" He could think of no one else who would want to speak with him this badly. She nodded and beckoned again.

They all glanced at each other and when Harry took the first step, Bathilda turned and started walking back down the street with them in tow. She brought them to a large brown house and opened the door, beckoning again, shooing them inside. Hermione wondered why Bathilda wasn't speaking, and she was sure they all were wondering why she smelled so bad. Bathilda shut the front door and shuffled past them into another room. Hermione took the chance to turn to Harry and whisper, "Harry, I'm not sure about this..."

"You're the one who wanted to talk to her, though."

"Yes, I know, but..." She looked nervous. "She's not talking, she smells worse than anyone should smell even with weeks of not showering, and the house looks like it hasn't been taken care of in years."

"I agree with Hermione," Ron said. "This doesn't feel right."

"But I knew she wasn't all there. Your aunt Muriel called her 'gaga' at Bill's wedding. She looks gaga to me."

"Harry, don't you feel weird?" Ginny asked.

Aurora pulled her arms around herself and looked around nervously. All of a sudden, Bathilda appeared in the doorway and beckoned vigorously. They followed her into the living room where she was lighting candles by hand. Harry thought this was a bit odd.

"Mrs. Bagshot?" Hermione asked. "Um, we wanted to know if you knew anything about Voldemort, and -"

Hermione was cut off by Bathilda waving her hand at Harry and pointing at the stairs. Harry blinked a few times, surprised by this sudden movement. "I think she wants us to follow her upstairs."

"Oh, alright..." Hermione seemed affronted at being interrupted, but she started after Harry. However, Bathilda started shaking her head, pointed to Harry, herself, and then the stairs.

"Oh...I think she wants me to go alone," he said.

"Why?" she asked shrilly. Bathilda winced and shook her head as if to get rid of the sound. Well, at least her hearing hadn't gone bad, Ginny thought.

"Sorry, I don't mean to disrespect you, Mrs. Bagshot," Ginny said, "but Harry doesn't go anywhere alone. None of us do. We go together, or he's not going."

This was apparently the wrong thing to say because Bathilda started having a fit. She shook her head, she waved her hands around, she stomped her feet, and started making strangled noises.

"Alright, alright!" Harry shouted. "It's okay! I'll go with you, alone. My friends will stay down here." This quieted the old woman. "Is there something you need to give me?"

Bathilda nodded and left the room, expecting only Harry to follow. He, however, quietly took the invisibility cloak out of his backpack, dropped it on the floor, and they understood; two were to use the cloak to be next to Harry and two were to be out of sight but right behind them, as backup. Their number one rule was that no one was to be left alone.

He hurried up to her and they climbed the stairs, turned a corner, and entered a dusty room.

_"You are Potter?"_

"Yes, I am."

Harry didn't have time to realize she had spoken in parseltongue. She closed her eyes for a moment and his head felt like it split open. He felt a leap of joy and heard Voldemort's voice in his head shout, _Hold him!_

Just as Ron and Hermione threw the cloak off of themselves, seeing that something really wasn't right, a great big snake shot out of Bathilda's neck while her body crumpled to the floor. Voldemort's snake Nagini, they noticed. It latched onto Harry's wand arm, causing his wand to go flying.

_"Hold him, yes, hold him! Master, I will."_

Now he realized she wasn't speaking in english. "NO!"

_"Yes...hold you...hold you..."_

"Crucio!"

Nagini let go and writhed in the pain from Hermione's curse.

"IMPEDIMENTA!" Ginny bellowed, and Nagini went flying into one of the walls.

Hermione rushed to Harry's side where he had fallen to heal his wound as much as she could as fast as she could, so she cast a spell that would numb it and stop the bleeding until they could get back to Hogwarts.

Then his scar burst into the worst pain he had ever felt. "He's coming! _Voldemort is coming!_"

"Confringo!" Hermione shouted. The spell bounced all over the room, shattering the windows, a mirror, chairs, and the bed. Then, "Accio Harry's wand!"

Harry grabbed her and the nearest wand to him, which happened to be Ginny's. "EVERYONE HOLD ON TO EACH OTHER! IMPEDIMENTA!" He blasted the entire front wall out of the house and they jumped.

And then his scar burst open and he was Voldemort, and he was running across the musty bedroom, his long white hands grasping at the air, watching as the five figures vanished. He screamed a scream of pure rage that echoed through the little town of Godric's Hollow...

And his scream was Harry's scream, his pain was Harry's pain...that it could happen here, where it had happened before...here, within sight of that house where he had come so close to knowing what it was to die...to die...the pain was so terrible...ripped from his body...but if he had no body, why did his head feel like it was exploding? If he was dead, how could he feel such agony? Didn't pain end with death...?

_He was gliding along, that sense of purpose and power and rightness in him that he always knew on these occasions...not anger...that was for weaker souls than he...but triumph, yes...he had waited for this, he had hoped for it..._

_Beneath the robe he fingered the handle of his wand...And along a new and darker street he moved, and now his destination was in sight at last, the Fidelius Charm broken, though they did not know it yet...He made less noise than the dead leaves slithering along the road as he drew level with the dark hedge, and stared over it._

_The gate creaked a little as he pushed it open, but James Potter did not hear. His white hand pulled out the wand beneath his cloak and pointed it at the door, which burst open. "Lily! It's him! Take Harry and run! RUN!"_

_"Avada kedavra!" The green light filled the hallway, it light the cradle pushed against the wall, it made the banisters glare like lightning rods, and James Potter fell like a marionette who's strings had just been cut. He proceeded up the stairs and easily opened the barricaded door. There she stood, the child in her arms. At the sight of him, she dropped her son into the crib behind her and threw her arms wide, as if this would help. "Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry! Please, no, take me, kill me instead...have mercy...please, I'll do anything - "_

_The green light flashed throughout the room and she dropped like her husband._

"No..."

_He pointed the wand into the boy's face; he wanted to see it happen, the destruction of this one, inexplicable danger. The child began to cry. He did not like it crying, he had never been able to stomach the small ones whining in the orphanage. "Avada kedavra!"_

_And then he broke; he was nothing, nothing but pain and terror._

"No," he moaned.

_And then he was back in the musty old house, the snake rustling over the filthy floor._

"No," it came, a little more forceful.

"Harry," came a voice. He could not tell if it was female or male.

_And fury wracked his body at the boy who had escaped, again. He would be keeping Nagini locked up from now on. No more chances. That had been too close..._

"NO!"

"HARRY!"

Harry flew up into a sitting position. His head was still in pain, but it has subsided enough so that he could talk, think, and see. It had been Aurora who shouted his name last. He was Harry, not Voldemort. Harry. "Wha..."

"We escaped, thanks to you," Ginny said.

"Yeah, quick thinking," Ron agreed.

"Where's my wand?" None of them wanted to tell him, so they looked everywhere but at his face. This instilled fear in his head. "Where is my wand?" he asked again, more panicked this time.

"Please don't be angry," Hermione said quietly. "I did it to distract the snake so we could get out of there...I didn't mean to hit your wand...Harry I'm so sorry..." tears slipped down her dirty cheeks as she took Harry's wand out of her bag and tentatively handed it to him. He took it, his heart breaking in half just as his wand had. "Take mine, it's more important for you to have one than me right now. Take mine for now and I'll help you find a new one. I'm so sorry, Harry!"

"It's alright, Hermione." But his voice was curt. "I know you didn't mean to. You used your head and got us out of there. You all did. Thank you." He sighed heavily, the weight of losing his wand and what he was about to tell them were pulling him down. "The snake is a horcrux."

They looked at him oddly. "Are you sure?" Hermione asked. Harry nodded, taking her wand; her hand was shaking as she handed it over. "How do you know?"

"I was Voldemort, in his head, since we jumped off the second floor. I saw everything he saw, what he was thinking. I relived my parents' deaths...in his eyes, from his point of view. And when he thought back to what just happened, he said...er, thought...to keep Nagini locked up from now on. No more chances, and that that had been too close. She's a horcrux, I'm sure of it."

"But Harry," Aurora began, "she's a living thing."

"Dumbledore said it's possible to make a living thing into a horcrux. It would be overcome by evil, of course."

"I'm pretty sure that damn snake is as evil as they get," Ron said firmly.

"Where are we?" Harry asked suddenly. "Wait, who disapparated us?"

Hermione shifted. They were in moonlit grassy field, flanked on one side by a forest and on the other by an odd, misshapen house, not unlike the Burrow. "I thought us to Luna's house. It was the first thing that came to my mind."

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**I hope you enjoyed that! Please review. Motivation is key, and awesome!**


	44. Xenophilius Lovegood

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot and my made up characters.

**Thanks so much for the reviews, guys! This story is really on a roll, now, even though I've taken a while to update…I'm psyched that I've been writing so much. I was stuck for so long. My computer is, again, having some psychological issues and needs to be sent for treatment. For now, I'll be working on the desktop (or my boyfriend's tiny ass laptop) which means longer updates. Sorry! Also, sorry about FF being stupid. It won't let me put dashes between my page breaks so it looks more cluttered than usual. Well, here's the latest. Enjoy!**

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_Keep off the dirigible plums_ was the first of many signs they saw adorning the front lawn and walkway. They walked up to the door and knocked. They heard shuffling, and it took about two minutes for whoever it was to answer the door. "Who is it?"

"Luna's friends," Harry answered.

"State your names," the nervous voice stammered.

"Harry, Ron, Hermione, Aurora, and Ginny. May we come in please?"

The door opened to quite a tall man with wispy white hair, pulled back in a low ponytail. He had the same bright blue eyes as Luna, but his were dulled from grief. "I…don't think it's a good idea…not the right time."

"It'll just be for a few minutes," Hermione pushed.

"I…a-alright, come in, quickly. _Quickly!_" He shuffled them inside and closed the door with a bang, scaring a squeak out of Hermione. The entire first floor was the kitchen. It was circular, and had a wrought-iron spiral staircase that led to the upper levels of the house. There was a little table fit for two on the center of the floor near the stairs. "You'd better come up," he said. He looked nervous when he saw their suspicious faces. "There are more comfortable chairs up there."

The floor above, which was not the top floor – as the spiral staircase towered above them – was also round but taller than the kitchen. Unlike the kitchen, however, it was not spacious. There were towers of books and papers scattered all over the place, a self-made printing press off to the side that Xenophilius threw a blanket over, and a few sofa chairs he pulled together for them. He sat in one by the window and looked out. "Why have you come here?"

"We –" Harry began, but he was cut off by a strangled gasp from Hermione.

"Mr. Lovegood! What is that?" She pointed to an enormous grey spiral horn that was mounted horizontally on the wall. It protruded slightly because of the roundness of the room.

"It is the horn of a Crumple-Horned Snorkack."

"No, it isn't!" Hermione said.

"Hermione, now's not the time for that –"

"Harry, it's an Erumpent horn! It's a Class B Tradeable Material and it's an extraordinarily dangerous thing to have in a house!"

"How do you know it's an erumpent horn?" asked Ron.

"There's a description in _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_! Mr. Lovegood, you need to get rid of it! Don't you know it can explode at the slightest touch?"

"The Crumple-Horned Snorkack," he said with a defiant look on his face, "is a shy and highly magical creature and its horn –"

"Mr. Lovegood, I recognize the grooves around the base. That's an erumpent horn and it's incredibly dangerous! I don't know where you got it –"

"I bought it," he said aristocratically, "from a merchant who knew of my interest in the exquisite beasts. It was a Christmas present for my Luna. Why, I ask again, did you come here?"

"We came here to ask a few things…mostly about Luna," Harry answered.

Xenophilius stood a little too quickly. "Luna is out by the river fishing for freshwater plimpies. We always get requests for freshwater plimpie soup. Are you staying for dinner? You should have some. Can I offer gurdyroot infusion? We make that ourselves, too."

They glanced at each other and back at him, but he gave them no time to answer, and he climbed down the staircase. When he came back up, he jumped as if he had forgotten they were there. "Oh yes, the gurdyroot, it will be ready soon."

"Mr. Lovegood," Hermione started again, "where is Luna?"

He looked at her nervously and fiddled with his hands. "Out, I said, by the river. Don't you listen? Cookies? Crumpets?"

They shook their heads. "Mr. Lovegood, are the hallows real?" Aurora suddenly asked.

He paused, then sat in his chair. "Oh, yes. Very much so."

"Why is the story of the three brothers so important?" she pushed.

"You know the story, yes?" She nodded. "Well, one is very powerful with any of the three hallows, of course. But with them all together, one becomes master of death." Hermione's eyes widened. "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named…he is searching…enough, I have said too much. I am being…my house is…why do you ask about the hallows? How do you know about them?"

"Luna told us," Harry said with hardness in his tone. Just as he suspected, Xenophilius returned to being jumpy, and he knew then that Luna's father knew what happened to her.

He looked out the window. "Luna should be back soon," he said to no one in particular.

"Where is she?"

"She should be back any minute. I have told you this several times. You should get your ears checked, my boy."

"We know she's missing," Harry deadpanned. Xenophilius's eyes widened. "We're trying to find her so we can save her. We're her friends, Mr. Lovegood. If you know where she is, we need to know. She is in more danger every second we wait, every second you stall us."

Xenophilius paused as if he was trying to gather his thoughts, and decide on whether or not to tell them. "They were waiting for her…" he began, his voice low and soft. He looked down at the floor and sat in a chair by the window. "The…death eaters. They have my Lu. Outside my house…they got her. She had only just gotten through the floo. They didn't like what I was writing. They made me ask her home for a weekend so they could keep her prisoner or they would…they would m-murder her. They told me they found a way into the castle. I had to agree…I had to."

"We understand," Ginny spoke up. "You don't have to convince yourself. We'll find her, we promise."

Hermione had been reading his body language, and she stared at him suspiciously. "What else is there that you aren't telling us?"

"What – what do you mean?"

"They had to have given you a way to get Luna back. What do you have to do?"

"They told me they'd give her back if I…if I…tell them I had you," he said to Harry. There was a moment of heavy silence, and then he stood. "I can't let you leave."

"Mr. Lovegood," Ginny said nervously, "you have to let us go. If you want Luna back, you have to let us get to her. We know where she is!"

"If you know where she is, why did you come here?"

"We needed answers," Harry said defiantly. "We have a few people over at the Malfoy Manor as we speak."

"It'll do no good," Luna's father said. "As soon as they find out you weren't here, they'll send word back to where she is and they'll kill her. I can't let you leave."

"So you already sent them word that we're here!" Aurora shouted, shooting up from her seat.

"No, only Potter."

"Mr. Lovegood, we can save her! You have to trust us!" Ginny said frantically.

His arms were spread-eagled, and Harry had a vision of his mother doing the same in front of his crib. But before the man could say anything else, Hermione screamed. "HARRY!" Figures in black were flying past the windows.

When they looked back at Xenophilius, he had his wand raised at them. "I can't let you leave."

The stunning spell flew at them, but Harry's _protego _blocked it. It bounced around the room, hitting the erumpent horn. There was a colossal explosion.

"EVERYBODY DOWN!" Harry yelled, and they fell flat on their stomachs, shielding their heads with their hands.

The explosion seemed to blow the house apart; papers, books, and pieces of wood were flung in all directions and landed on top of them. A thick layer of dust rose that clouded their vision.

A door crashed open downstairs and they heard a male voice start to speak roughly. "Didn't I tell you there was no need to hurry, Travers? Didn't I tell you this nutter was just as raving as usual?" There was a bang and a cry of pain from Luna's father. "We told you last week, Lovegood! We weren't coming back for anything less than some solid information! Remember last week? When you wanted to swap your daughter for that stupid bleeding headdress? And the week before when you thought we'd give her back if you provided proof of crumple horned SNORKACKS? And THIS time you try to BLOW US UP!"

"Where is he, Lovegood?" they heard another man ask dangerously. His voice was deeper. This must have been Travers.

"I-I-I had him, I did!"

"YOU'RE A WIZARD, YOU DERANGED IDIOT!" the firstdeath eater screamed. "YOU SHOULD HAVE HELD HIM!"

"I'm sorry!" Xenophilius wailed. "You – you didn't come fast enough!"

"Why you little –"

"I SWEAR I had him! He's good at escaping!"

"This is the last straw, Lovegood."

"No! No please not Luna! I-I swear I'll get him!"

There was a bang and a wail from Luna's father.

"Why should we believe you after every stunt you've tried to pull? We have a busy schedule! We don't have time to come here every time you develop a new idea to get your daughter back!" Another bang.

"UPSTAIRS!" he wailed. "He's upstairs!"

"_Homenum revelio_," chanted Travers. The Gryffindors upstairs suddenly felt an odd tingling sensation wash over them. He waited a moment before speaking again. "Someone's definitely up there, Selwyn."

"You go upstairs, Lovegood, and bring him down," Selwyn growled. "If it isn't Harry Potter in the flesh, we'll see how much of your daughter we can bring you back to bury."

Xenophilius let out another heartbreaking wail, and proceeded to climb over the debris that littered the kitchen floor.

In the murky light upstairs, they heard Hermione's voice but could not see her. "Do you guys trust me?" she whispered. There was a chorus of yesses.

"What are you planning?" they heard Harry ask.

They saw a body stand and gently move a plank of wood that was on top of her. She dusted herself off and looked around. "Harry, I think I see you. Give me your cloak, quickly!"

They heard someone start climbing the stairs. Harry stood quietly and handed it to her. "Rora, Ginny, Ron, we need to put the cloak over us. Crouch so it'll cover us completely. Tuck the ends in under your shoes and hold them there. Harry, you stay visible."

"Why?" Ron asked.

"_Just trust me!_"

They did as she told and then got them close enough so they were all touching. She pointed her wand at the floor. "_Deprimo!"_

There was a loud bang, the floor gave way under them, and they crashed into the kitchen. Harry and the two death eaters took a good long look at each other, and then he felt a jolt from his stomach. The last they saw was the death eaters lunging for him.

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"Run!" Hermione shouted as soon as they hit ground.

"Where are we, Hermione?" Aurora asked, jumping up and hurrying after her.

"In the forest where we apparated after we left Godric's Hollow. I know it's so close to Luna's house, I'm so stupid! But I couldn't think of anything else. Just keep running! As fast as you can!"

"Why do we need to run?" Ron called from behind her.

There was a series of bangs and they ducked as red jets of light flew over them. "That's why!" she answered. "We have to scatter!"

They did; Aurora and Ginny ran off with the cloak just as Hermione bolted in the opposite direction. She didn't see where Ron went, but she looked over her shoulder and saw Harry running behind her. Suddenly she thought of something. She pointed her wand at her head and muttered two spells, then whirled around and was going to do the same to Harry, who stopped in front of her, but it was too late; one of the death eaters caught up. Before he could see that Harry was Harry Potter, she thought of the first thing that came to her mind. "Whatever you do, don't react," she whispered, and shot it at him.

He felt a harsh stinging all over his face, but listened to Hermione and didn't show his pain. It was then when he noticed that he wasn't looking at Hermione; he was looking at a girl with blue eyes, freckles, and long, straight brown hair.

When the death eater bound their hands and stood in front of them, Hermione leapt into action. "W-what are you going to do to us? We were just walking through the forest, I swear! Please don't hurt us, please!"

"Shut up, pretty. Where's Potter?"

"P-Potter? You mean _the_ Harry Potter?"

She squeaked when he grabbed her roughly by the neck of her shirt. "Don't play dumb with me!"

"Keep your hands off her!" Harry yelled, but all they heard was, "Keeburands ov 'er!"

"Ah, so Ugly can speak! Tell me, do _you_ know where Potter is? Cause if you don't, this 'ere girls's gonna be in serious trouble once we take you both to Malfoy Manor, and she'll get a lot more on her than just hands."

"I _swear_ we weren't with him!" Hermione protested. She was even crying; Harry never knew she was so good at acting. "Please, sir, let us go. We've never even met Harry. We live just over the hill. Please let us go home. We won't ever come here again, I promise."

The death eater seemed to ponder her words, then stared at Harry for a few moments. "Why is he so damn ugly?"

"Oh, he was born that way. Please, he's sensitive about it."

He loomed over her, causing her to back up a little. "Do I _look_ like I care?"

"Selwyn! I got one!"

The death eater that was with Harry and Hermione, Selwyn, turned and saw who had to be Travers heading towards them. He was dragging Ron along behind him. Hermione and Harry breathed sighs of relief; Ginny and Aurora had escaped.

"My my, what's this?" Selwyn said when getting a good look at Ron. "This here looks like a Weasley." He turned slowly to glare menacingly at the two he caught. "So. Don't know where Potter is, do ya? Care to change your answer?"

"No, we don't know who he is, either," Hermione said, talking about Ron. "We don't go to Hogwarts; we're homeschooled."

"And how did you know where the Weasley's go to school?" Travers asked her viciously.

"E-Everyone knows they go to school with Harry Potter, and everyone knows he goes to Hogwarts. PLEASE, I swear I'm telling the truth!" More tears spilled down her cheeks while Ron looked thoroughly confused.

Then, while the death eaters tried to decide on what to do with them, he saw the girl he didn't recognize give him a look only Hermione ever gave him, and he understood. "Uh, excuse me, but I'm not a Weasley." When they shot him a confused glare, he meekly added, "Just to let you know."

"I know there are quite a few redheads out there but I'm not taking a chance," Selwyn said. "Travers, take the ginger. I'll take these two. We're going to the manor."

Both dread and elation filled the three. They got a ticket into the mansion, but it would most definitely not be free, especially because Ron was too far away for Hermione to change his appearance. They had to keep up their stories, or there was sure to be torture in their near future. They hoped to god that they would be placed in the same cell as Luna, if she was even in a cell. Hermione prayed Draco would understand who she was. She certainly hoped he would recognize Harry.

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"I'm sorry."

Luna was sitting in her cell, having just been crucioed for the past twenty minutes. "Don't be. It was expected. I know you can't do anything, and that you're doing all you can. I appreciate it, Draco."

"I'm proud of you," he said. She looked up at him, surprised. "You revealed nothing, not even under excruciating pain. That takes a great amount of courage and bravery."

She smiled softly. "I'm no Gyffindor. I just know it would hurt everyone, and destroy all of our plans."

"You don't have to be in Gryffindor to be brave."

She smiled at him with an odd look in her eyes. "No, I suppose not."

"I have to go. They'll wonder why I've been gone for so long. I'll do my best to keep them off you." He turned and walked out of the cell, but he faced her before he walked up the stairs. "Oh and Lovegood – Potter's on his way with backup."

The last he saw of her was a smile.

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**Thanks for being patient with me, guys. Again, I apologize for my horrible luck with computers! Please review and tell me what you think!**


	45. A Free Elf

Chapter 44 – The Manor

I'm sorry, again, that it took so long but my computer has yet another problem, had to be sent out, and MS office decided to stop working. I always love reviews!

IMPORTANT: The one and only time I will integrate myself into the story is in this chapter. If you want to experience the last scene of this chapter to the fullest, you should listen to the music it goes to while reading. It is Lily's Theme from the deathly hallows part 2, and I will tell you when to start. You will have to copy and paste it into youtube, so you should do it now and have it ready for when you get to the part. The link is here with spaces added in because FF keeps deleting it: youtube . com / watch ? v=uI_9kZ2qZNE

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"What is all this?" came Bellatrix's voice as she waltzed down the grand staircase. "Why has my tea been disrupted?" Greyback sneered at her. "Do not look at me like that, filth. We are not equals!"

"I may not be a death eater but I have all of your rights, wench!"

Bellatrix raised her wand to curse him but Lucius stopped her; he and Narcissa had been in the sitting room and had come to investigate. "Now now, Bella, let's not go out of control. Come come, Travers, Selwyn. Let us see who you have brought."

"They were in the forest 'round Lovegood's," Travers explained. "We had gone to investigate after we read the letter the old fool sent us."

"We were about to go inside when the entire house exploded," Selwyn took over. "We thought it was Lovegood trying to blow us up but he swore Potter was upstairs so we cast _homonem revelio_ and discovered that there really was someone there. We sent Lovegood up but then the ceiling gave way and the person fell but just before he disapparated, we saw Potter's face."

Lucius was livid. "You are to tell me that you let POTTER get AWAY?"

"Erm perhaps butwegottheWeasleyboy!"

Lucius turned a calculated look at the redhead as if he had just noticed him. He stalked around Ron like a shark eyeing its prey, sizing him up as if he was to cook him for dinner. Finally, he said, "If not for the lack of freckles, I would say yes, he is definitely the Weasley boy."

"Lack of freckles?" Selwyn asked, confused. "But he did have freckles."

"It is dark out; you must have been mistaken. Unless…DRACO!"

They heard footsteps and Draco and Blaise came from the other room. "Yes father?"

Bellatrix pushed Lucius aside and rushed over to her nephew's side. "Darling, go see! See if that is the Weasley boy, Potter's best friend!"

"Weasel? Really?"

Harry shuddered at the joy in the blonde's eyes, even though he was sure it was fake.

"Yes yes, now tell us if it is him or not," Lucius snapped.

"Well I would love it if it were him so I could torture him myself, but why would I know? You know his father better than I. Can you not tell if it is him?"

His father snarled. "Yes but he has no freckles, this boy. As much as I hate to say it, you know what he looks like better than I and you would know if he has a disillusionment charm on him. Go look."

So Draco, like Lucius, walked around Ron, raked him with his perpetually narrowed eyes, and finally came to stand in front of him. "Who are you and why were you lurking around a forest in the evening? Are you stupid? You know death eaters are everywhere, right?"

"I'm not stupid!" Ron started, but reigned himself in; he knew Draco recognized him. He had to play along. "Maybe a little…I was on my way home when I spotted them," he said, pointing to Harry and Hermione, "and followed them to investigate. My name is Charlie…Hawethorne."

Draco stared at him for another few moments, then stepped back. "Who are you?" he asked Hermione. He already guessed that the other guy was Harry, but he didn't know which of the girls this was. That in and of itself made him think it was Hermione; only Pansy was as good at disguises.

"Amanda O'Neill."

"O'Neill?" Bellatrix shrieked. "We caught an O'Neill? Oh! Can I have her? PLEASE?"

"Be SILENT, Bella!" Lucius bellowed.

"But I've always wanted to torture and _mangle_ the daughter of Estelle O'Neill! Do not deprive me of that honor, Lucius, or I will take it from you myself! I despise that gold digger more than anything, and I have her daughter standing in front of me, blue eyes and all! Pure blood or not, you _will_ let me have her."

"Oh _do_ shut up Bella you are acting like a five year old. How is your name spelled, Miss O'Neill?"

Hermione was terrified. She was also perplexed. She, who knew everything, had no idea that her best friend was from a rich, pureblooded family. "O-apostrophe-n-e-a-l. Why?"

"It's not the right spelling," he grumbled at Bellatrix, who shrieked again, this time in frustration.

"How do you know she's not lying?"

"Oh for heaven's sake SHUT UP!" Draco shouted. Everyone looked at him. "Thank you. Now, who are _you_?" he asked Harry, finally.

"Duddy O'neel."

Draco looked at Hermione for a translation. "Dudley O'Neal," she said quietly. "He has a speech impediment."

He turned to his father, straight-backed and serious. "They aren't Potter's friends, and neither of the boys are Potter."

"But are you absolutely sure?" his aunt asked. "Look at the ginger! He looks so much like the boy I saw in the Department of Mysteries –"

"That was last year," Draco cut her off. "I alone grew three inches since then, and my face has changed. Yes he could have a disillusionment charm on himself but he definitely doesn't sound like Ron Weasley. Remember, I've been 'befriending' them under our lord's orders. I spend a lot of time listening to his incessant whining. I know what he sounds like. Plus, these two don't sound anything like Granger and Potter. Satisfied?"

"Not at all," Lucius growled. "Throw them in the cellar."

"Wait!" Bellatrix cried. "Leave the girl to me. _Accio_ veritaserum."

"What are you doing?" Blaise asked, daring to use his voice for the first time.

"Checking something," was all the Black sister said. It flew into her hand and she forced Hermione's mouth open and squirted quite a bit into her mouth with the dropper. "How do you spell O'Neill? How do you spell the name you are using, whether it is yours or not?" Hermione resisted as best as she could but Bellatrix had a painful grip on her face. "Spit it out!"

"O-a…apostrophe-n-"

"Yes?"

"-e…"

Hermione stopped after that. She knew she would be given away. She was using Amanda's spelling, and whether or not it was her way of spelling it, the way Bellatrix worded her question made it impossible for Hermione to get out of it. O'Neal wouldn't pass.

The murderess threw her to the floor and cackled. "Oh, how much fun I will have with you. Take the boys to the cellar, Draco! Blaise!"

Hermione sent her brother figure one last look of hopelessness, but all he could give her was a blank stare.

They walked down to the cellar and Draco cast _mufliato_, a spell he used often after Harry taught it to him. "Before you run your mouths, I need you to listen to me. Bellatrix will do horrible things to Hermione if I don't hurry, so don't interrupt. I'm going to take the spells off you; I need you to be yourselves when you run back upstairs. You're going to make the door sound like it crashed open and shout _stupefy_ really loudly. Make a commotion; yell and scream about how Blaise and I are huge traitors and that you thought we were your friends, etcetera. Run upstairs, interrupt Bellatrix –" Hermione screamed. "Shit. She's started already."

"Hurry, Malfoy!" Harry's ability to talk was back; the stinging jinx was already wearing off.

Draco waved his wand and muttered something at Ron. "There, your freckles. Back to normal."

"_You_ did that? How?" Ron asked.

"From around the corner of the living room. I ran back upstairs after. No time! Go! Go crazy, cause a commotion; you're good at that. We're going to run in a few moments after you and pretend we were always on your side – pretend to them of course. Then we'll make an escape –" another scream, they all cringed – "and disapparate."

"Where will we disapparate?" Harry asked.

"Hogwarts."

"But you can't apparate inside Hogwarts –"

"No time to explain. Go!"

Draco threw open the iron gate to the cellar and ran inside while Harry and Ron made it bang against the stone wall. "_STUPEFY!"_

Draco didn't wait to make sure they were doing the right thing. He had to get the prisoners out of the cellar. "Dobby!" The little house elf appeared. "There's no time to explain. Please get Luna and Griphook to Hogwarts – the hospital wing. And notify Dumbledore."

"Right away, mister Draco! Wait upstairs and Dobby will return for you!"

Draco flew up the stairs and into the living room as fast as his feet could go and ran in on an odd scene, one he'd never imagine he'd ever see. Hermione was on the floor, tortured and bleeding, her illusions having worn off. Harry and Ron were pointing their wands at the death eaters, and Narcissa was standing on the side as she was since the beginning, not knowing what to do.

"Look at what happened, dear nephew," came his aunt's sickly sweet voice. "Harry Potter and his friends decided to show up, all shiny and new now. And what better thing to happen than my prey turning into the one person I hate more than Estelle O'Neill! How did they escape, Draco?"

Harry took the chance for her wand while she was distracted. Ron followed suit. "_Expelliarmus!"_

"They stupefied me," Draco said, a bit alarmed that his and Blaise's wands were also taken.

"You filthy little rat," Ron growled. "You bloody, filthy traitor! I was actually warming up to you! I was actually starting to think of you as a friend! I'm going to kill you where you stand!"

"Weasley…Ron…"

"Don't call him by his first name! You have no right! Don't even try to reconcile," Harry growled. "I trusted you! I thought you changed! FUCK you, Malfoy! And fuck you too, Zabini. You're as untrustworthy as the filthy snakes you are."

Ron raised his wand just as Harry began shooting _stupefy_ around the room after purposely missing the two Slytherins, but everything stopped when they heard Bellatrix's voice cut through. "STOP! Stop or she dies!" They slowly turned their heads to see her restraining Hermione and holding a dagger to her throat. "Give Draco your wands! NOW! Draco take their wands!"

Draco went over and snatched their wands away, along with his, Hermione's, and Bellatrix's. Just then, when a wicked smile appeared on the witch's face as she pressed the dagger into Hermione's neck, they heard a squeaking sound. They looked up and saw Dobby on top of the chandelier, unscrewing it. Bellatrix acted fast and threw Hermione away from her while she dashed to the other end of the room. There was a huge crash and the expensive chandelier, that no one had thought of adorning with an anti-break charm when it was bought, shattered. Hermione ran towards Ron and he caught her and helped her back to Harry, as she could barely stand. Dobby disapparated and appeared next to Harry.

"Stupid elf! You coulda killed me!"

Dobby winced at the shriek Bellatrix was well known for. "Dobby never meant to kill! Dobby only meant to maim, or seriously injure."

Since Draco was still holding her wand, she grabbed the nearest one – Narcissa's – and pointed it at the elf, but he flicked his hand and the wand went flying into it. "How dare you take a witch's wand! How DARE you defy your masters!"

"Dobby has no master. Dobby is a free elf! And Dobby has come to save Harry Potter and his friends!"

"Draco! Give me my wand!" When Draco didn't, Bellatrix's eyes widened. "Draco! Give me my WAND!"

"Sorry _auntie_." He handed the wands in his hand to Harry, and the group grasped each other. Draco saw his aunt throw her dagger at them in her rage. "Dobby! Now!"

Dobby squeezed his eyes shut and they disapparated.

* * *

(start Lily's Theme now youtube . com / watch ? v=uI_9kZ2qZNE)

* * *

"Hermione! You're going to be okay, Hermione. We're safe." Harry and Ron were holding her, and they lowered her to the floor. They were spent, and their legs could no longer hold them. "Please help her! She's been tortured," he said to Madam Pomfrey.

The nurse rushed forward and then they noticed Dumbledore come in with Ginny and Aurora. He was about to speak when they heard a feeble voice.

"Harry Potter..."

Harry turned and saw Dobby, standing but hunched over, holding his chest. The hilt of a dagger was sticking through his bloody hands.

"Dobby!" He shot up from the floor and ran. Dobby fell into his arms.

"No..." Draco said softly.

"Dobby...no...do something!" Harry pleaded with the growing crowd; Fred and George were there, now. "Do something! PLEASE!"

But they looked sadly at the poor elf. Madam Pomfrey waved her wand, but her face did not show hope. "It is through his heart, Mr. Potter. There is nothing we can do."

He put his face in Dobby's shoulder. "NO!" He felt someone kneel next to him and he looked up at Malfoy. He was surprised to see tears in his eyes. When the blonde held out his arms, Harry gently gave him Dobby.

"Mr. Draco...Miss Aurora...Dobby is sorry he left you."

"Don't. I never blamed you," Draco said. Aurora was doing all she could to not start sobbing. She kissed Dobby's forehead.

"Such a beautiful place...to be with friends," Dobby said. He gave one last look at Harry and curled his head into Draco's arm. "Dobby is happy to be with his friends."

"I want to bury him," Harry said. "Without magic. He deserves that much."

Draco's tears fell unwillingly. He hugged the little elf to his chest and stood, handing Dobby back to Harry. "I grew up with him. He was born in my house. It is only fitting if you bury him, as he closed his life with you more prevalent than Aurora and I."

"We should close his eyes, don't you think?" Luna said softly. Harry nodded, so she reached over and slid them shut.

The group closed in on them, each taking a turn in touching Dobby's head, hands, or legs, whatever they were closest to. All were crying. Harry and Draco didn't even notice when Pansy, Trinity, and Amanda came in.

"We should bury him on the grounds," Dumbledore said. "By the lake."

Harry nodded. Dumbledore turned and went through the door. Harry and the others followed. Because it was dinner time, everyone was in the Great hall or on their way to or from it. A procession formed as one by one, they joined the line. Even those who didn't know Dobby knew of him, and paid homage. The walk downstairs and through Hogwarts was long but quiet. Dumbledore opened the entrance hall doors and they went solemnly, down to the edge of the lake. Dobby's immediate group of friends barely registered the headmaster's announcement to the school about a funeral. Harry handed him to Pansy and started digging. As he was passed from friend to friend, Dobby was treated a little differently. Pansy fell to her knees with him. Hermione cried into his shoulder. Aurora held him the longest, and almost didn't let go when it was Blaise's turn. Dobby passed through Seamus, Neville, Luna, all the way around to Ginny. Draco didn't get a chance. He thought it would look bad to Voldemort, no matter how he explained it. So Dobby passed by him back to Harry's arms.

"We are gathered here to witness the funeral of a friend," Dumbledore began. "A very dear friend to many. House elf he may have been, Dobby was the most loyal and selfless any person could be. He saved lives on countless occasions and provided love to all, not caring whether or not he got into trouble for it. I think everyone should take example from him. He lived life to the fullest, and in the end, he died free."

Dumbledore turned and motioned for Harry to put Dobby in his grave. Every one of his friends took turns filling it with dirt and when it was finished, Dumbledore used his wand to carve the headstone.

_HERE LIES DOBBY, A FREE ELF_

* * *

I cried all through writing and editing Dobby's death. It was hard to do, and I had to re-watch the scene over and over. I won't be able to write in a week or two because of technical issues but if I can, I'll steal away my boyfriend's laptop for a bit and sneak in another chapter. I know I haven't been a faithful updater, but I promise this story will get finished. My goal is before December; I still have quite a few chapters to write, and as always, I love reading suggestions :)


	46. Angel

Chapter 45

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my plot and new characters.

Thank you so much for your reviews! Thay made me so happy. I'm glad you guys like the story. I'm having a really hard time because it's finally coming to a close...and has been on ff for five years. It's with all the help of you and my friend Ami-chan that I've been able to keep going and get to the end. Don't be fooled; there are still about ten or so chapters to go, maybe more, but it's in its last leg of the journey. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the rest!

* * *

Draco stood by the window of his common room, staring out at the lake. He felt like the shittiest human being in the world. One of his best friends was in the ground, and he couldn't even hold him during his funeral. It was true that Draco barely saw Dobby in the last few years, but growing up, the elf was his and Aurora's only friend. He would heal them when they were beaten, sneak them food when Lucius made them skip meals, rub their backs when they cried, and made them laugh whenever he could.

Draco gripped the window sill. It was dark, and Dobby's grave was lit only by moonlight. He didn't hear the portrait open - he was too concentrated on not breaking down.

She walked up to him, making sure he heard her footsteps, and put a hand on his. "The stone is beautiful in the moonlight. Fitting, for an angel."

Draco took a breath. "I betrayed him, Rora."

Hermione opened the portrait. She had followed Aurora, but when she heard voices she stopped. She closed it but kept it open a crack so that she could see them.

"No, you didn't."

Draco's resolve was slipping. "I didn't hold him at his own funeral. When he needed me the most...I wasn't there for him. He's done so much for us. And I did nothing."

"Don't you dare say that," she said gently. "You did everything you could for him. Hell, you even took beatings for him, took blame for him, cared for him, since you were five. It's one thing that Blaise and Pansy held him. They can come up with the excuse that it would have looked really bad to everyone if they hadn't, since you're supposed to look like you've changed to the good side. But you...if you had held him, no matter what excuse you gave Voldemort, he would feel a little suspicious."

"That's no excuse. Dobby means more to me than that."

"You would have blown everything. Dobby knows that. He understands. He always has. And, you did hold him, in the hospital wing. You held him when he was still alive, which is more important than at his funeral because he was aware of it. I bet that meant more to him than anything you've ever done for him."

She pulled Draco into a hug and he broke. He held her so tightly, she thought she might bruise. Sobs wracked his body, but his voice was muffled by Aurora's hair. She lowered them to the floor so they would be more comfortable, and because she couldn't hold him up. Tears ran down Hermione's face. She never knew how important Dobby was to him, and it warmed her heart and broke her heart at the same time to see him like this over a house elf. _'The bravest house elf,'_ she reminded herself. She had seen enough, and silently crossed the room. Aurora saw her and gave her a hopeless look.

Hermione knelt and hugged both of them. Draco didn't even have to look at her to know who it was, and he was surprised at how glad he was that she was there. If only Ginny could be...he felt bad that he couldn't comfort Hermione. He heard her sniffling, but he didn't trust his voice.

"Don't blame yourself for anything," she whispered to him. "He loved you. I saw that in the hospital wing.

When he finally calmed down and regained some control over his voice, Draco apologized. "For what?" Aurora asked softly.

"For being weak like that..."

"Draco how can you tell other people it's not weak to break down and cry, when you say it is for you? It's not weak. It shows how much you care, that you loved Dobby so much that you can't control your emotions. That says a lot about your relationship with him, because you never lose it like that unless it's too much for you to bear."

He waited a few moments before responding. "Why are you being so strong?" he nearly whispered.

"One of us has to be when the other is in distress. If we both were in the same way, nothing would get done, we wouldn't be able to make the other feel better. I know you'll hold me later or tomorrow when I finally break down. The reason why I haven't yet is because you needed me first."

"I'm sorry...I should always be there for you first."

"It doesn't work like that. We're here for each other, equally."

"And bloody Hermione...holding me after she's been tortured...it's not right."

"Don't you dare go down that spiral, Draco Malfoy," Hermione said weakly; she still hadn't been healed properly, and rested. Though, she had been able to throw a charm on her arm to hide it somewhat. "This is much more important than me. I'll be fine, I only was hurt. You lost a lifelong friend. You need more support now than ever. Stop blaming yourself for everything. He saved all our lives today. He knew that he might have died, and he still did it, because he loved us. We were his friends."

"I asked him to do it. I asked him to take Luna and the others to the hospital wing." His face was still in Aurora's shoulder. He didn't dare look at her, in fear that he would break down again.

"But did you ask him to come back for you?"

"..."

"No, but he did it anyway. He might be gone, but he's still happy, and he'll always be with his friends." She wiped her cheeks with her sleeve. "He'll always be with us. He's our angel."

She had to stop, for a sob escaped. Aurora put a hand on her arm and Hermione smiled gratefully. She stroked Draco's hair. "Do you want to go to see him? I was going to go down there in a bit, to be with him without the entire school."

"I...think I'll go on my own, later, if you don't mind..."

"Of course not. Do you want me to stay a little longer?"

"...Yeah."

"Do you want me to leave?" Hermione asked, though she thought her heart might break if Draco said yes.

"No," he whispered. He leaned away from Aurora, turned, and took both of them into his arms, as Hermione had done. He rested his cheek on Aurora's head and held Hermione's to his shoulder with his right hand. The two girls wrapped their arms around him and they sat there on the floor in front of the window that overlooked Dobby's grave. "You're my sister, too."

Hermione looked up at him with wide eyes, and he gave her a gentle squeeze.

* * *

"Harry?"

He and Ron looked up from the sofa and tried to smile. "Oh, hi Ginny." Trinity, Amanda, Fred, George, Neville, and Luna were scattered around them, on the floor or in chairs. All showed signs that they had been crying.

She walked over and sat next to them. "How are you?"

Harry couldn't say anything. His chest hurt too much to speak, and he feared he would start crying at any moment. She hugged him tightly to her chest to comfort him and let him know she was there for him, but also so he wouldn't see her own tears. Ron gave her an empathetic look, then stared down at his legs, not knowing what to do.

"I know it hurts. It's a terrible thing, what happened, but he did save all of you, knowing there was a chance he could die." She squeezed him once more and pulled away after stealthily wiping her tears away. "You know we're all here for each other. You can talk to any of us. But for now...I really think we should check on Hermione, and bring her back to the hospital wing."

Harry nodded. "Oh god...I almost forgot, about my own friend who was tortured above my own head..."

"Don't beat yourself up over it, Harry. We ned to get to her though. Let's go to Dobby's grave later, okay? And you can tell him what you're feeling, what's going on inside your head right now."

They left the Gryffindor common room with the rest in tow and were on their way to the Head dorm when they saw Hermione, Draco, and Aurora walking towards them down the hall. "We were just coming to get you," Ginny said to Hermione. She noticed that her friend was limping, and her arm was seeping blood, even though she had wiped it many times. Ginny couldn't make it out though; due to Hermione's charm, it looked like a gash, not the word she hated so much.

She noticed Ginny staring at it and she subconsciously turned her arm so it wouldn't be visible. "It won't close with magic."

"We were just bringing her to the hospital wing."

Ginny's heart gave a squeeze; Draco's voice had no emotion in it. She'd definitely be paying a visit to him later. "We'll follow you, then," she said softly.

Ron gently took her arm so she could use him as extra support on their way.

"We wanted to bring her back tonight, to take care of her wounds," Ginny said to Madame Pomfrey when they arrived. "She was tortured pretty badly."

"Put her here, Mr. Weasley," the nurse said. Ron followed her to the bed she was pointing to and sat Hermione on it.

The nurse waved her wand over Hermione's body and did a few spells. "You have a lot of torn muscles, that is why you are in so much pain."

"So much pain?" Ron asked. She looked sheepish. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I didn't want to bother anyone. It's that bad really..."

Madame Pomfrey went to take Hermione's wrist but the girl pulled it back. "Can I...can I have a screen?"

"Don't be silly, these are your friends. Why would you want a screen?"

"I don't want them to see..."

"I don't have all day, Miss Granger, I really must get this done so I can speak to Professor Snape about the potion you need. We don't have it; it needs to be brewed." Hermione hesitantly let her turn over her arm. There was a collective gasp when the nurse took off the disillusionment spell Hermione had put on it. "Good lord..."

The word 'Mudblood" had been carved into the underside of her arm. The nurse scurried off to get a bottle of essence of dittany and a blood clotting solution. The group of friends hadn't seen the wound like this; apparently, she had put the charm on it when they arrived at Hogwarts with Dobby, or some other time they weren't looking. It was red, angry, deep, and bleeding

"Hermione," Draco said in horror. He knelt before her and took her hand to better inspect the cuts. "I'm so sorry."

It was odd for Ron and Harry to see Draco being affectionate, as it wasn't a common side of him to see. But they stood back and relief filled them – they were alive, and safe.

"It's okay, Draco," she said tiredly. "It wasn't your fault."

"I could have done better. Come up with something. Anything to stop her from getting to you."

Blaise sat next to her and put an arm around her back. Draco brushed away a tear he hoped no one else saw and took a deep breath. "I'm so sorry Mione."

Hermione collected all the strength she had and wrapped her arms around him. "Draco, seeing you in front of me, you, not the person you're forced to be, is more than I could have wished for, means more to me than you can imagine. To see you all like this after I thought we were all going to die…is the best gift I've ever been given. What she did to me was a small price to pay to get you and Blaise alone to contact Dobby."

Madame Pomfrey came back and shooed everyone out of her way, saying Hermione had to rest and that they had only ten more minutes with her. When everyone left, Ginny was still sitting on the bed next to her friend.

"Where are Pansy and Blaise?" the older girl asked.

"They went to Slytherin," the redhead answered. "They wanted to be by themselves. Pansy was so upset, it was getting dangerous for the baby so they decided to go be alone and calm her down."

"Oh. How did you and Aurora get back?"

"We apparated. Rora called Dobby and told him where Draco would be, and he took us to DUmbledore's office. We told him everything, and that you were hopefully returning soon...I was so scared, Mione."

Hermione leaned her head against Ginny's. "Me too." They stayed like that in silence for a few minutes, until Hermione spoke again. "Draco called me his sister."

Ginny looked at her in surprise. "He actually said the word 'sister'?"

"Aurora and I were hugging him - we had a little talk about Dobby. She asked if he wanted her to stay a little longer, and he said yeah. I asked if I should go, and he said, 'No, you're my sister, too.'"

"Oh Hermione," Ginny breathed. That was big. They always joked, all of them, about Hermione and Draco being siblings or arguing like siblings, taking care of each other like siblings, etc. but neither of them had ever actually said it. That Draco told her she was his sister was incredible news, and it warmed Ginny's heart. "I'm so happy for you." They hugged and Ginny left, leaving Hermione feeling loads better.

She headed to the Head dorm, hoping Aurora didn't walk Draco back. "Founders Four," she said, and walked through the portrait hole. She walked up to the portrait of Salazar and whispered Draco's password. When she reached his room, she found him face down on his bed, no Aurora in sight. She shut the door and got on the bed with him. They wrapped their arms around each other, nothing needed to be said. All was said when she sought him out and he accepted it.

* * *

_"My lord." Draco bowed. Blaise followed, and Pansy sheepishly bowed her head._

_"Do not fear, my child, you are exempt," Voldemort said to her. "Draco, I clearly know what happened. I assume you called on me to tell me your reasons?"_

_"Yes...I assume my father and aunt told you their side, for which I do not blame them; they were not informed because I was forced to act to save the entirety of your plan." Voldemort's eyebrows - or where they would be - rose. Lucius and Bellatrix were glaring at him. "Blaise and I went to my family's manor because we heard that the Lovegood girl was missing from Hogwarts, and wished to see if she was there."_

_"What would you have gained knowing she was there than if you did not?"_

_"Knowing is half the battle, my lord. I can lie better when I know everything that is going on."_

_Voldemort looked pleased. "Yes, a good answer. Continue."_

_"That night, fairly late, three people were brought in by Travers and Selwyn. I was asked to see if they were Potter, Weasley, and the mudblood. I said that they were not, because they truthfully did not look like themselves. So, I did not fear acting like myself in front of them, spoiling everything Blaise, Pansy, and I worked so hard to achieve for you. However, Granger told Aunt Bella that she was Amanda O'Neill, but she spelled it as n-e-a l. Aunt Bella wasn't convinced, so she gave Granger veritaserum. Needless to say, she couldn't spell it as n-e-a-l so my aunt decided to keep her upstairs while Blaise and I took the other two down to the cell. They...I am ashamed to say...were able to overpower us, took their wands back, and stunned us. As they were running back up the stairs, we saw that they were Potter and Weasley. Just then, our old house elf, probably sent by Aurora, came and took everyone in the cell somewhere - I now know it was to Hogwarts._

_Then I knew that since he knew what was going on, Blaise and I had to remedy everything. We recovered and ran after them. They truly believed we had 'betrayed them' - I don't think they ever suspected that we had been lying all this time. Potter and Weasley had everyone's wands, which I took when Aunt Bella threatened Granger's life. Then the chandelier dropped because the elf had unscrewed it, Aunt Bella threw Granger to the side so she could get out from under it, and Blaise and I went to stand by our 'friends.'" He sneered. "when Aunt Bella told me to give her the wands, I gave them to Potter instead. That changed his view. Then the elf disapparated us."_

_"Please understand, my lord," Blaise added. "Draco and I had to do this. We had no choice. And now, instead of letting him get away, as he would have anyway, and being enemies, not being allowed back in the school, we are still his 'friends.' We are still on their side, in their eyes, and still in their good graces. We can still spy on them."_

_It took Voldemort a long while to answer, but when he did, Draco, Blaise, and Pansy let out their breaths. "... Yes, I am pleased. An excellently quick mind you both have. I have to admit I was a bit uneasy but that explanation fits perfectly, and you are not wrong. Everything would have been ruined...yes. Lucius, you will pay dearly for letting that elf get away all those years ago and siding with Potter. Crucio."_

_Draco never thought he would be this pleased to hear his father's screams. Blaise and Pansy stood by him, as always, cringing a bit while they watched Voldemort gleefully torture Lucius. "May that be a lesson to you all," he said, addressing every death eater in the room._

Harry woke with a start. He waited until his breathing evened out before he got out of bed. It was back to classes today, for a few days at least, until the second wave of them was to take the pastilles. For today, he would relax. After all, he had defense against the dark arts later with most of Dumbledore's Army, and he and Snape were not on bad terms anymore.

* * *

Pansy had been uncomfortable. From breakfast all the way through til now, in DADA, she had been irritated and was unable to find a comfortable position on any chair. Clearly, Snape's classroom wasn't any different.

"Are you alright?" Blaise whispered.

"Yeah. Fine. Just been uncomfortable all day. I can't sit still," Pansy answered.

"Is there something the matter, Miss Parkinson?" Snape asked. He had noticed her fidgeting much more than normal, and masked his worry with annoyance. He hoped she got the message. He had not planned on much physical work for the day's class. He was teaching them the last new information they would need before their final exams.

"Yes, Professor. Sorry. I just can't sit still. Please don't mind me."

He tried to continue with his lesson, but her fidgeting and changing positions on her chair was distracting not only him, but the students around and in front of her. "Miss Parkinson, please stand and walk around in the back of the classroom if you need to. It will be less noisy than moving around in your chair."

Pansy flushed and nodded. "Sorry…"

"Now, the effects of the dark magic repellent spell…" and he droned on.

Pansy placed her hands on her lower back and began pacing. She recognized the minor pressure called Braxton-Hicks contractions, but those could be felt for a while before birth. She tried to pay attention, but she was too uncomfortable. Every now and then, she'd stop and take mental notes, distracting herself from her discomfort by silently going over the new defensive spell in her head until she felt something very strange about half an hour into the lesson. Her eyes widened when she realized what it was. "Oh shit."

"Miss Parkinson!"

She looked wide-eyed and frantic at Snape, then Blaise, then Snape again. "My water broke."


	47. Baby

**Sorry for the wait. Here's some fluff, a bit of calm before the storm ;) but it DOES have important things so it's not just filler. I spent a serious amount of time on this chapter, and it didn't seem right, perfect, until today when I sat down and wrote another little scene. It seemed rushed for a while; that's what I've been working on this whole time.**

**Oh and happy birthday (yesterday) to JulieMalfoyZabini! Thank you so so much for everything you've said to me, all the advice you've given, and for staying with me for years, reading all of my stories :D**

**I don't own anything but the ideas and my made up characters.**

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_Pansy placed her hands on her lower back and began pacing. She recognized the minor pressure called Braxton-Hicks contractions, but those could be felt for as much as a few months before birth. She tried to pay attention, but she was too uncomfortable. Every now and then, she'd stop and take mental notes, distracting herself from her discomfort by silently going over the new defensive spell in her head until she felt something very strange about half an hour into the lesson. Her eyes widened when she realized what it was. "Oh __shit__."_

"_Miss Parkinson!"_

_She looked wide-eyed and frantic at Snape, then Blaise, then Snape again. "My water broke."_

* * *

0

* * *

There was a moment when everything was quiet, and then Snape leapt into action. "_Obliviate maxima._" Everyone in the room blinked. "Class dismissed. Everyone out. NOW. Parkinson, Zabini, Malfoy, Langley, Nott, Weasley, Granger, Potter, stay." When the other students were out of the classroom, he waved his wand again and restored their memories.

Blaise was out of his seat in an instant. He cast a scourgify on her to save her any embarrassment, and she smiled gratefully at him. Draco, Zack, Theo, Harry, Hermione, and even Ron stayed behind and hurried over to Pansy while everyone else filed out. Snape was already at her side, helping Blaise support her; her contractions had started.

"You two," he motioned to Harry and Ron, "tell the headmaster and send messages to her other friends. Theo, Zack, Blaise, Miss Granger - take her to the infirmary with a disillusionment charm on you. She may need your medical attention before we reach St. Mungo's. Under no circumstances is Anolani Parkinson to know about this. I will tell her myself once it is all over. I will meet you all in the infirmary in ten minutes."

"Where are you going?" Harry asked out of habit, though his tone wasn't accusing.

"To tell the dark lord."

"Won't he send Mrs. Parkinson though?" Harry asked. "And, won't he keep you long? Pansy needs you."

"I know she needs me, Potter, but I must let him know what is going on and tell him to _not_ inform Anolani because she will ruin all of his plans by showing up at the hospital, especially because you lot will be with me. Voldemort is not used to his death eaters acting and then telling him. The only reason he has been lenient so far is because it was his favorites who acted without telling him. He has been getting antsy about it. If Pansy's Gryffindor 'friends' knew she was going and were not allowed to go with her, they would think something was up, would they not?" He raised an eyebrow. He turned and walked swiftly out the door, his robes billowing behind him.

* * *

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* * *

The trip to the hospital was short, but to Pansy, it felt like hours. Since she couldn't go by apparition, she had to be taken by floo. Her contractions weren't very close together, but they were painful. She tried to hold back her tears as they walked down a hallway to the maternity ward at St. Mungo's, but they kept coming. "Severus… why is this happening? She shouldn't be coming, not now. She's supposed to be born in a month!"

"Babies are often born early, Pansy," her godfather said. "Seven months is plenty of time for a baby to develop. The eighth month is for further development, but seven is not uncommon. Muggle pregnancies take nine months, but babies born at six months still survive. If she is supposed to be born now, then now it will be, and everything will be fine. Besides, don't you want to be able to fight in the battle? You will now be able to, since you will be fully recovered by then."

"I'm just scared… the period is eight months for a reason."

"It'll be okay, love," came Blaise's reassuring voice. "I promise." He was scared, though, too.

When they got to maternity and Pansy was examined, she was only three centimeters dilated, so she was told that she could not be put in the delivery room just yet. "You can walk around the hospital, use the pregnancy balls we have in the labor room, or take a soak in our hot tubs. The hot tubs are a top choice; they take the weight off and the heat feels nice on your lower back," was what the healer said. "However, walking around is the first thing we recommend."

So Pansy took off down the hall, up and down and up again, with her hands on her hips, for about an hour. Her friends stayed with her for support while Snape stayed in the waiting room. "Screw this. This isn't working. I don't feel better at all, and my contractions aren't getting closer together."

"Pansy!" They turned to see Ginny, Trinity, Amanda, and Aurora running towards her. "Oh thank merlin," Aurora said. "I was so afraid we'd miss it. Fred and George are on their way; they couldn't get out of class."

"Well it looks like you're going to be here for a while," Pansy said. She looked down at her stomach. "She's determined to make this very long and hard on me."

"Is walking around not working?" Amanda asked. Pansy shook her head, a very annoyed look on her face. "Do they have those big bouncy balls here?"

"Yeah, the nurse said they were in the labor room. She also spoke of hot tubs… why? What do they do?"

"The reason the nurse told you to walk around is because movement encourages birth; it makes it go a little faster. Bouncing lightly on those balls works really well, but it's used as a second choice because walking usually does the trick."

"How do you know all of this?" Ginny asked.

Amanda blushed a little in embarrassment. Unlike Hermione, she didn't like to show off what she knew. "My mother is a midwife. I want to be one too, but a doctor, not a midwife, and work in a hospital, not other people's homes. So I learned all I could from her."

Pansy looked relieved. "Oh good. With Hermione's medical training and your midwife training, I feel loads safer. I'm really scared; she's not supposed to be born for another month."

"She's just ready to be born," said Amanda. "Seven months is quite common, mum says. Babies don't always need eight."

Pansy squeezed her eyes shut in pain from another contraction. Blaise held onto her and rubbed her back. "I'm okay… I just need a minute."

When she let out the breath she was holding and stood up straight again, Amanda took her arm. "Let's get you to the labor room."

* * *

0

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Needless to say, the pregnancy balls didn't help much.

"This isn't working. And I feel stupid."

"I don't get it, why is nothing working?" Aurora asked, mainly Hermione and Amanda.

"Sometimes, women are lucky and are only here for a few hours," a pregnant woman next to them said. "Sometimes, they're plagued with long ass labors." She was sitting on a chair, her arms resting on her bulging stomach. "I've been here for fifteen hours already. Good luck to you, honey," she said sarcastically.

Pansy's eyes shot wide open.

"Oh way to scare her," Ginny lashed out. "Not only is this taking a long time, but this is her first pregnancy and she's early! You're pregnant, you should know to be sensitive!"

"This is my first too, sugar. Give her fifteen hours of walking and bouncing, and she'll be just as cynical and miserable as me."

Aurora and Ginny took Pansy's arms and practically dragged her towards the door. "Come on, Pans. Let's get out of here."

The poor boys just followed them, not really knowing what else to do. Blaise, however, took Pansy away from the girls. "I'll take her, thanks."

Ginny and Aurora looked shocked. Pansy shook her head. "Don't be offended; he's just being overprotective." She looked at Blaise. "I appreciate it and I think it's sweet, but don't be rude to them again."

Blaise gulped at her tone. "Yes, love." He turned to the girls. "Sorry…"

"Don't worry about it. I'll get you back later, when we're all relaxed."

"Thanks Rora… I feel so relieved…"

She smiled sweetly at Blaise.

"Where are we going now?" Harry asked.

"I think we should go to the hot tubs," Amanda suggested. "At the very least, it'll make Pansy feel better and it's already been two and a half hours. If we do have a while to wait before this baby decides to come, we'll be relaxed and comfortable."

"We don't have bathing suits though," Trinity told her.

Amanda held up her backpack. "All right here. I even have swimming trunks for the guys."

Ron's eyes bugged. "You went through our rooms?"

Amanda gave him a rare smug look. "Of course not. I just accioed each of your swimming suits."

Blaise shook his head. "You really should have been in Ravenclaw. Who else but Hermione would think of something like that in a situation like this?"

They had a good laugh, but Pansy, instead of going to the hot tubs, had a different idea. "I'm actually incredibly thirsty, and this baby's not coming anytime soon. Can we go to the cafeteria and then the hot tub?"

They spent almost an hour downstairs, and even though Pansy ate, she couldn't sit for very long. Her contractions were now seven minutes apart, and the pain in her lower back was almost unbearable. "Okay… hot tub time… ugh."

On the way to the other side of the hospital, though, they had a bit of an unpleasant encounter.

"You're the Parkinson girl, aren't you?" the woman said. She looked snooty, with her nose up in the air and a look of perpetual annoyance on her face.

"What's it to you?" Blaise asked defensively, stepping in front of Pansy.

"Filthy purists, you and your horrid mother. Aren't you sixteen, seventeen?" the woman asked Pansy, ignoring Blaise. "Despicable. I guess the bastard child's father couldn't keep it wrapped, could he?"

There was fire in Blaise's eyes. He pushed Pansy even further behind him and straightened his already straight back to look down at this woman. "That child is not a bastard because _I_ am her father, and I will be Pansy's husband soon enough! Our ages have nothing to do with how good we will be as parents or how irresponsible we were. You have no right, NO right, to judge her for what you assume or for her mother's actions."

"Her mother is a filthy death eater purist who believes anyone who does not have pure blood should be murdered. I suppose you are a match made in heaven, purebloods and Slytherins, polluting our world with more filth."

"So that makes her just like her mother, right? That makes Malfoy and Zabini just like them, too? Even though they're here with blood traitors and muggleborns?"

The woman's eyes bugged; clearly, she hadn't seen Harry until he spoke. "M-Mr. Potter, what are you doing here?"

He linked his arm through Pansy's. "What is your name?"

The woman was caught off guard. "Uh, Nancy Baker."

"You are being just like the purists you hate, only on the other side of the spectrum. You're accusing good people of being what purists accuse _you_ of. I'm here with my friends, to support our friend who is going through a hard labor, and my Slytherin friends are not purists. You're as stupid as you look, giving your name like that. I should report this harassment of a pregnant woman. Being me, they'll take it more seriously. Is that what you want?"

"N-no."

"The next time I see you, if I ever do, I won't be as nice. Now if you'll excuse us, we have somewhere to be." He grabbed Pansy's arm and pushed past her, the others following.

Draco and Blaise shared a look. They were both thinking the same thing – Potter just used his self-hated fame for the very first time, and it was to defend their lifelong friend.

Pansy looked up at him when they were far enough away and smiled. "Thanks Harry, that meant a lot to me. But you didn't have to use your status for me. She isn't worth it."

"I don't care if people attack me. I'm used to it. But it's worth it when people attack my friends."

She gave his arm an affectionate squeeze. She felt very loved; she had Blaise and Harry flanking her sides, holding her arms protectively, Draco at her back, and the rest of her friends around and behind her. Severus was even waiting patiently in the lounge. That woman couldn't bring that down for her even a little bit. The hot water she sank into ten minutes and a contraction later only made that feeling better.

"This is so relaxing." She was leaning on the wall in the hot water with her eyes closed. It had been five hours from when Pansy's water broke, and this was the first chance she got to actually sit down and relax.

"How is your back now?" Trinity asked.

"Better, thanks. The water really does lift my belly. I feel as light as air."

"Won't this take longer though?" Harry asked Amanda.

"It might, because Pansy's not physically trying to get the baby out, but it's much less painful for her while she waits."

"Who would have ever thought that anyone else would be the go to person over Hermione?" Trinity prodded playfully. "Mione, you have competition!"

Hermione splashed Trinity from outside the tub; along with Harry, Draco, Zack, and Amanda, Hermione decided to not get in. "Oh shut it."

"Oh…"

They looked over at Pansy, concerned. She as clutching her stomach with a pained expression on her face.

"Pansy?" Blaise asked. "You okay?"

"Just a particularly… painful contraction," she said between breaths.

Before they knew it, nearly two hours had gone by, and they heard a knock on the door. A nurse came in. "I know you must be comfortable in there Miss Parkinson, and I'm terribly sorry but there is a maximum time limit of two hours and other women need to use the baths. I can put you back on the list if you like."

"I think I would like that…"

Pansy went in for another checkup when they got back and was told that she was five centimeters. So they took to walking around again. She decided that she had had enough of the maternity ward, so they went back downstairs to the cafeteria after much resistance from Draco and Blaise; her contractions were now five minutes apart, and they argued with her that she should be upstairs, since it was getting close. But her resolve wouldn't budge. However, she didn't eat much. She told them she was too uncomfortable to concentrate on eating, so they got her a coke and she shifted in her chair for another hour, clutching her stomach every five or six minutes.

Towards the end of that hour, her contractions all of a sudden got very close together and she had to be taken back into the examination room to see how dilated she was. "Eight centimeters," the nurse had said. "Three centimeters in one hour, that was fast. It's good you lot brought her back up here as quick as you did, or we might be having a baby in the middle of the cafeteria."

She was rushed to a delivery room and in no time, she was being set up for birth. The healer who would be assisting the obstetrician, who is the doctor who delivers the baby, told Pansy that she would be allowed to have up to eight people in the room, but only as long as no one got in the doctor's way; there were chairs to the side where they could sit.

"I'll go to the waiting room," Zack said. "I'm not one for blood, anyway. Good luck, Pans."

"Zack…"

"It's okay, really. I'll see you soon." He squeezed her hand and left.

Amanda and Trinity popped their heads into the room just then. "Fred and George are here; they stopped by the Burrow to tell Molly and Arthur about Pansy and pick them up, so they're here as well. Harry's saying hello to them. We're going to stay out there with them, okay Pansy?"

Pansy just nodded, as another contraction took over.

Snape began to leave the room, leaving Draco, Blaise, Aurora, Ginny, and Hermione with her, but she made a helpless noise. "No, please stay!"

He looked surprised. "I thought you might not want me in here."

"Of course I do… my own father can't be so I really want you to. I don't think I can do this without you. Please." She was breathing heavily, now, and her skin was sweaty. She had a hand reaching out to him.

The professor's heart constricted at his goddaughter's words. He decided to forego his pride and walked back over to her, taking her outstretched left hand. "Then I will stay."

"Pansy, who else do you want here?" Hermione asked calmly. "Do you want me to get Harry?"

But Pansy was in the grasp of another contraction, so Hermione slipped out of the room after telling Pansy that she would be back. The healer told her she could come and go, as long as she didn't distract Pansy.

"I need the pain medication," she begged. "I need them now."

"Alright I think you're finally ready for them. Laura, will you please set her up with an IV and an epidural?" Laura the nurse obliged, and shortly after, Pansy could still feel the pain but it had greatly lessened.

"Alright Miss Parkinson, you are fully dilated. Are you ready to meet this baby?" the obstetrician asked.

"I don't really have a choice," she said breathlessly.

"Okay I'm going to tell you to take a deep breath and hold it while I count to ten, then you can let it go. We will repeat this process quite a few times. Ready, and take a deep breath… and push. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten and let it go."

"Take deep breaths like we went over, but not too deep," Blaise said. "I don't want you getting dizzy. You can do this." He stroked her hair to comfort her.

Pansy had Snape's hand gripped in her left and Blaise's in her right. Draco was next to Blaise holding her leg up and encouraging her. Ginny and Aurora were on the other side with Snape. Aurora was holding Pansy's other leg.

"Don't you dare look!" Pansy warned them. They promised they wouldn't.

"Don't worry about that, Miss Parkinson," said the healer. "Concentrate on pushing."

"I can't concentrate while I'm thinking about my friends looking!"

Hermione came back in at that moment and went over to Draco and Blaise's side to even out the people around her bed. Harry had come in behind her.

"Harry," Pansy said fondly.

"How are you doing, Pansy?"

"Okay considering the circumstances."

They all had a laugh. Harry stood by Draco after Hermione backed away to give him room, and put his hand on Pansy's arm. "I'm going to go stand over there with Hermione, okay? But we're right here."

"Okay… but don't you dare look or I'll clobber you into next week."

Harry smiled. "I promise."

"I'm going to count again," the obstetrician said. "Ready, take a deep breath, and push, push, push, that's it, eight, nine, ten."

Blaise wiped the sweat off of her forehead with a cool hand towel. "You're doing so well, Pansy. Just a little longer."

"This is so hard…" she muttered. She felt her godfather squeeze her hand.

"It'll be worth it in the end," she heard Aurora say. "When that baby is in your arms, you'll forget all about the pain you went through to give her life. You'll see."

"I can't, I can't do this… oh god…"

"You _can_ and you will," Snape said. "I've seen your strength, Pansy. You have never said you couldn't do something, before." He squeezed her hand once more for reassurance and she nearly broke his in response as another contraction pushed through her.

"Man am I glad I'm not one of the people holding her hand. Looking at your faces makes me realize I got off lucky." Leave it to Draco to make her laugh during birth.

"Come on, one last push," the obstetrician said. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight –here she is, well done, Miss Parkinson! You did very well."

There was a chorus of cheers as a feeble cry filled the room. A cleaned baby was put in Pansy's arms two minutes later. Harry and Hermione left to go get everyone else in the waiting room when Pansy gave the word. Blaise covered her hand with his so that they were both holding the baby's head. She was squirming and making those noises only newborns make, and it was music to the new parents' ears.

"I'm proud of you, Pansy," Snape said. "I know your father is, as well."

She looked at him tiredly. "Thank you Sev." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "That means a lot."

Molly Weasley put a hand on Pansy's head. "I'm proud of you too, Pansy, Blaise. She's simply lovely."

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," they said.

"She's so beautiful," Pansy half whispered lovingly. "I didn't think it would be possible to love her this much."

Blaise kissed her head, then stared down at the baby again. "I know. She looks just like you."

"Let's give them some time alone," Aurora said to the rest of them. "We'll be in the waiting room okay, guys?"

Pansy and Blaise nodded. When they left, Blaise said, "I can't believe she's finally here. It feels like a dream. And she's so _beautiful._"

Pansy carefully handed her over to Blaise, who looked like he didn't know what to do after she was in his arms. Pansy made it seem so easy. "Just hold her to your chest," she said.

"I'm so scared I'll drop her."

"You won't."

"You sound so sure…"

"Because I am. You're going to be such a good father, Blaise. Which reminds me… husband?"

Blaise looked curiously at her. "Huh?"

"You said you were going to be my husband someday, when you were yelling at that woman earlier."

Blaise shifted on his feet and looked only at the baby. "Uh, I was just… well I thought… it was a slip… we've been trying to go slow so… it would work… I was just… Pansy will you marry me?"

Her eyes filled with tears and she broke into a great big smile. She just wanted to tease him; she didn't expect him to propose. "Yes."

"But not because we have a baby," he added as a disclaimer. "Because I love you."

Pansy let out a small laugh. "It's still yes."

He took something out of his pocket and put it on her ring finger – it was a white gold band with a small diamond in the center and two smaller ones, one flanking each side. Pansy looked surprised. "It's been in my pocket for weeks," he said sheepishly.

"You goof. I love you."

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After a little while, their friends and Laura the nurse came back into the room with a clipboard and papers for the new parents to sign. It was Aurora who noticed the ring, and the girls ooed and ahhed over it and the guys congratulated the newly engaged couple.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I need to know the baby's name," Laura said. "Have you picked one yet?"

Pansy looked at Blaise, then back at the baby, who was in her arms again. Then she knew. "Gabriella."

Blaise looked like he had been struck by lightning, he was so shocked. "Ga… Gabriella?"

"Only if you are okay with it," Pansy said. "It was just a thought that's been rolling around in my head for a little while."

"You want to name her Gabriella?"

Ginny and Hermione noticed the tears in Aurora's eyes, and when she looked closer, Ginny saw them in Blaise's as well. "What's so special about the name Gabriella?"

A faraway look took over Blaise's eyes.

* * *

_Flashback_

* * *

"_Baise! Baise!"_

"_Mum! Mum did you hear her? She said my name!" He was so happy that he didn't even care that she couldn't pronounce the letter L yet. _

"_I did, darling."_

"_Sissy, say it again!"_

"_Baise! Haha!"_

"_She's barely just turned one and she said my name!"_

_Francesca Zabini smiled warmly at her children. She was an elegant woman, with skin the color of the coffee she drank and raven colored hair pulled back in a simple style. Blaise always looked up to her, and his father. "Come, Blaise. I'll finally teach you how to feed her."_

"_Really?" Eight year old Blaise, who was so enamored by the baby, gleefully ran ahead of his mother into the kitchen._

* * *

"_Blaise! Look! Look what I can do!" A three year old girl with bouncy jet black hair ran up to Blaise and held out her cupped hands. She was holding seeds she had obviously snatched from the packets in the garden. They sprouted and grew into beautiful vines. _

"_How did you do that?" Blaise grabbed her arm and pulled her towards their large house. "Come on, you have to show mum! MUM! Mum you have to see this! You have to see what Sissy just did!"_

_They ran into the house but their father stopped them. "Blaise? Is everything alright?" _

"_Dad look at what Sissy did."_

_Roberto Zabini knelt in front of his daughter, who held out her hands to him. "Wow, that is some mighty fine magic, Ellie. I'm sure your mother would love to see it. Run along, but don't actually run!"_

* * *

"_GIVE IT BACK! Give it back right NOW!"_

_Blaise dangled the hair ribbon in front of her and laughed. "You have to come and get it, Sissy!" He ran down the stairs. It took her four year old legs longer to get to the first floor but when she did, she shot after him. _

"_BLAISE!"_

"_Give it back to her, Blaise," Pansy said. "Don't be mean."_

"_I'm not being mean, I'm being a big brother. If I don't tease her, no one will."_

"_Draco make him give it back to her!"_

_But all he did was give Pansy a look that asked, 'Do I look like I'd even be able to if I tried?'_

"_I'll get him for you, Pansy!" Aurora shouted valiantly. She gave a mighty battle cry and tore after him. He barely had enough time to run. Soon enough, they were all holding their stomachs from laughter pains, even Gabriella._

* * *

"_But I don't want you to go."_

"_Aw Gabby don't cry, I'll write you as much as I can, as always. Promise."_

"_I hate when you leave!"_

"_But I come back every holiday, and it goes by quicker than you think, you know that." They went through this every year. "And I'll send you sweets from Honeydukes and I'll make Draco and Pansy do it too so you'll get triple the sweets. And Rora will send you stuff from Beauxbatons. We've done it for the past three years, this year will be no different. I promise. Okay?"_

"_Okay…" She sniffed. "And you'll see us off, right? At King's Cross?"_

"_Yeah…"_

_Blaise grabbed her and picked her up, holding her above his head. She let loose peals of laughter. "You're getting big!"_

"_I'm only five!"_

"_But you're getting bigger! I better keep up my quidditch training so I can keep picking you up!"_

* * *

"_GABRIELLA!" His throat was raw from screaming. "No! Please! PLEASE wake up! Gabby! GABBY!" But it did no good. He held her lifeless body tightly to his chest, his tears unyielding. "Please wake up…"_

"_She won't wake."_

_He turned his head, noticing the newcomer. "Who are you?"_

"_The dark lord, young Zabini. Don't you know your history? I won't blame you this time; you have had yet to see me, as I was only just brought back to power."_

"_Y-You-Know-Who? You're You-Know-Who?"_

"_The dark lord, yes, and you should refer to me as such. It isn't polite to call the future ruler of the world anything else." He turned his eyes to the girl in Blaise's arms. "The explosion; such a shame, to lose magic as the type she possessed. I am sorry for your loss." _

_Blaise knew the Voldemort in the stories was never this kind, so he kept his guard up. "Thank you…"_

"_Come, shall we bury her?"_

"_I should bring her home to mother and father, but thank you, again."_

"_Very well, I can understand the need to bury her on your home grounds. I respect that sense of family. We have that in my ranks. In my death eaters. You would do well with us, being of pure blood and high magical power. I would also keep your parents safe, of course."_

_Blaise wasn't stupid. He knew that was an indirect threat. Lucius Malfoy had been sent not a week ago to recruit them but they said they would not join Voldemort, that they would remain neutral. _

_Blaise had no choice. He could not lose his parents. "You are kind… will you allow me time to think over your generous offer?"_

"_But of course."_

* * *

"Blaise?"

He blinked and looked at Pansy. "Sorry. She was… my little sister." There were widened eyes throughout the room. Blaise had never spoken of a sister. "She was killed in the terrorist attacks two years ago, the London Bombing. She was six."

"That little girl who was always with you at King's Cross?" Mrs. Weasley asked. Blaise nodded and her hands flew to her mouth. "Oh!" she said in surprise.

"Oh Blaise," Hermione breathed. "I'm so sorry."

Ginny was next to him, so she squeezed his arm. Something jogged her memory; she remembered someone mentioning the name Gabriella at the Halloween ball. Blaise and Draco had given each other a look, and she had wondered what that was about. Then Blaise had changed the subject, and she never asked Draco about it.

"Why have you never mentioned her?" George asked gently.

"I haven't forgotten her, of course, but I never spoke of her because it was too painful. I'm sure Gabby wouldn't want us to be sad right now, though. This is a happy time."

"I think she would have felt honored to have her name even in the running at all," Aurora said quietly.

Blaise looked thoughtful for a moment, then he knelt next to Pansy and his daughter. He stroked her tiny shock of black hair and stared at her for nearly a minute before he spoke. "I think Gabriella is perfect. It suits her. Sorry to keep you waiting," he told Laura.

She shook her head. "Not a problem, Mr. Zabini. So, Gabriella?" He nodded. "What will her last name be?"

"Zabini," Pansy answered. "Um, before we do anything else, and before you write Gabriella's features down, I have an extremely important request."

"Oh?"

"What I have to say must not leave this room."

Laura looked surprised. "I understand, Miss Parkinson."

"I'm sure you know who my mother is, and who the Malfoys are affiliated with. I cannot explain much further, but I must insist on having her be blonde and have Draco Malfoy be her father on paper. We are going to change her looks until… further notice. Before we leave the hospital."

"… I see. I understand you completely. You can always come in and change it later, as long as it is within ten years; we get rid of our files once they are ten years old."

"Thank you so much," Blaise said. "We really appreciate it."

Laura smiled. "Will there be a middle name?"

"Aurora," he and Pansy said together.

The waterworks didn't waste any time on the blonde. "Me? Why?"

Pansy explained. "Because you've grown up with us, your name is beautiful, and we wanted both you and Draco to be a part of her. We couldn't very well add the name Draco to hers, so we chose him as her godfather, if he'll accept, and your name for her middle, if you'll accept."

"Oh Pansy…"

Draco looked surprised. He never even thought of being the godfather. His usual sharp features softened. "Of course." Then they became mischievous. "If Rora can bear to let me have that title."

His sister smacked his shoulder. "My name to live on forever is what I get. Besides, with our huge group of friends, and the Weasley trait of having whole broods, I'm pretty sure we'll all get the chance to be a godparent." They laughed on and off about that for a good hour, especially Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

* * *

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* * *

**Well I think I'm finally done. I've re-read this chapter over twenty times, always adding or subtracting or editing. This, unbelievably, has been the hardest chapter to write. I hope you liked it. I know it seems like filler, but there are important things slipped in here and there, and it needed to be written. I didn't want to just write, oh she went to the hospital and the baby was born eight hours later, and they named her Gabriella after Blaise's sister. I had to write the story of Blaise's sister because it's important for later on. Please tell me what you think!**


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